In a setback to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, the Karnataka government on Tuesday challenged in the Supreme Court her acquittal by the state high court in the illegal wealth case. In its petition, the Karnataka government called Jayalalithaa's acquittal as illegal. Former state advocate general BV Acharya will be the state government's Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) to argue the case in the apex court. The 67-year-old AIADMK chief took oath as chief minister for the fifth time in Chennai on May 24 after the single judge bench of Justice CR Kumaraswamy upheld her appeal, quashed all charges against her and set aside her conviction and four-year sentence a trial court here handed down to her on September 27, 2014. The Karnataka High Court, holding the value of Jayalalithaa's disproportionate assets at Rs 2.82 crore, instead of Rs 53.6 crore computed by the trial court, held the amount "not enough" to convict Jayalalithaa on corruption charges. Justice Kumaraswamy also acquitted Jayalalithaa's three co-convicts, sentenced to four years jail and fined Rs 10 crore each for allegedly amassing wealth disproportionate to their source of income during her first term as chief minister from 1991-96.
