How Confusion over Jayalalithaa's Bail Led to Premature Celebrations in AIADMK Camp

On Tuesday evening, after hours of waiting for the final verdict on J Jayalalithaa's bail plea in the disproportionate assets case, the news came out that the prosecution 'had no objection to conditional bail' for the AIADMK chief.

Safely assuming that this statement from the prosecution was enough for the Karnataka High Court to take a decision in Jayalaithaa's favour, celebrations broke out among AIADMK supporters outside the court and in Tamil Nadu, with media organisations also breaking the news that the former Tamil Nadu chief minister had got bail.

Even on Twitter, people following news channel reports took to putting up posts with the hashtag #AmmaIsBack, which was trending even after the final verdict was reported.

What was most surprising in the turn of events was that the court chose to deny bail despite a room for concession given by Special Public Prosecutor G Bhavani Singh. For most bystanders, and even lawyers, the lack of objection to the bail by the state was a green signal for Jaya's release.

However, according to some reporters tweeting live from the court, the public prosecutor had filed written objections to Jayalalithaa's bail though he had told the court orally that there was no objection to a 'conditional bail'. The prosecution had also argued that Jayalalithaa could influence the proceedings in the case if she was out on bail.

While Jaya's lawyer Ram Jethmalani had sought bail on the grounds of her deteriorating health, the judge held that bail will not be granted in corruption cases, adding that it violated human rights.

"Corruption should be dealt with a heavy hand. It violates human rights and economic rights of others. I cannot apply the principle of charity in this case. There are no grounds for suspension of the sentence," said Justice AV Chandrashekara, who was heading the bench, as per news reports. The judge said the court cannot take corruption cases lightly. 

The next step for Jayalalithaa would be to appeal in the Supreme Court, but will continue to stay in the Bangalore jail.