Top female politician jailed for corruption in India

Jayalalitha who was chief minister of the southern state of Tamil Nadu was found guilty of amassing wealth of more than $10m (£6.1m) which was unaccounted for.
In a case that lasted for over 18years, one of India’s most colourful and controversial politicians, Jayaram Jayalalitha, has been jailed on corruption charges.




Even though as a former actress, her career was marked by a series of high and lows, now she has to pay a multi-million dollar fine and resign as chief minister. The verdict was delivered by a special court in Bangalore amid tight security. The prosecution argued that Jayalalitha and three others committed an offence against society, the Indian Express reported. BBC’s Jill McGivering says that Jayalalitha is a legendary figure – a flamboyant former film star who has been central to south Indian politics for three decades. The corruption case focused on her personal wealth and was brought by a rival political party but Jayalalitha has always argued that it was politically motivated.