The Supreme Court on Tuesday convicted AIADMK general secretary Sasikala in the Rs 66 crore disproportionate assets case.
The apex court also sentenced Sasikala to a prison term of 4 years.
Now, the AIADMK general secretary cannot become the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, or contest elections for 10 years – which includes 4 years of prison term.
Sasikala has also been asked by the Supreme Court to surrender immediately.
A Bench of Justices Pinaki Chandra Ghose and Amitav Roy, who had reserved the verdict on June 7, 2016, gave the verdict in the case on Tuesday.
The Karnataka High Court had last year acquitted the AIADMK general secretary in the case, in which late Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa was also an accused.
Sasikala has been involved in a long and protracted power struggle with acting Chief Minister O Panneerselvam for the CM’s post, following Jayalalithaa’s death.
Meanwhile, the numbers in Panneerselvam’s camp continue to boost, with Mettur MLA Semmalai backing the CM. OPS now has 9 MLAs in his camp.
Sasikala still holds the majority, with 125 of 134 MLAs still in her camp. She has moved a number of MLAs to Koovathur resort near Chennai, where they have been staying for several days. Sasikala on Monday stayed overnight at the resort.
