NEWSLINKS US EDITION SOUTH ASIA COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL THE STATES ELECTIONS ARCHIVES US ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
Onkar Singh in New Delhi
The Supreme Court on Friday scrapped All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary J Jayalalithaa's appointment as chief minister of Tamil Nadu by former governor Fathima Beevi, unseating her with immediate effect.
In a unanimous verdict, a five-judge constitution bench held Jayalalithaa's appointment under Article 164, Clause 4 to be illegal and unconstitutional since she had been convicted and sentenced to three years' imprisonment in the TANSI land deal scandal, thereby debarring her from contesting elections for six years.
The bench headed by Justice S P Bharucha said the will of the people is subordinate to the Constitution of India.
The judgment was delivered in two parts. Justices Bharucha, Y K Sabharwal and Brajesh Kumar gave one judgment while Justices Ruma Pal and G B Pattanaik gave a separate but concurring judgment.
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