| Date | 14 May 1998 |
|---|---|
| Location | Chennai |
| Participants | Jayalalithaa, Sasikala, T. M. Selvaganapathy |
| Charges | Misuse of office, Corruption, Criminal conspiracy |
| Verdict |
|
| Litigation | 11 years |
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The Colour TV case[1] was a legal case against J. Jayalalithaa, the late Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, a state in South India from 1991–1996. J.Jayalalithaa, her associate VK Sasikala, and her ministerial colleague T. M. Selvaganapathy were charged with misusing their office to buy colour televisions at a higher price than quoted, then receiving substantial kickbacks. Jayalalithaa, Sasikala, and seven others were arrested and remanded to judicial custody on 7 December 1996. The case and chargesheet were filed during the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government headed by M. Karunanidhi in 1998. On 30 May 2000, Jayalalithaa and Sasikala were acquitted while a lower court convicted Selvaganapathy and six others and sentenced them to five years of rigorous imprisonment with a fine of ₹10,000 (US$200). It was one of the first instances where an ex-chief minister was arrested and sent to jail and one of the earliest examples of the conviction of a Member of Parliament in a corruption case. Selvaganapathy was a member of Parliament from the Tiruchengode constituency in Lok Sabha at the time of the verdict.
The Madras High Court acquitted Jayalalithaa and all others who were convicted in the case on 4 December 2001.
- ^ PTI. "Colour TV scam: High Court upholds acquittal of Jayalalithaa". The Hindu. Retrieved 23 February 2017.