Jayalalithaa’s karma comes back to bite her

A case that dragged on, seemingly endlessly, for 18 long years. The result – a conviction, with a four-year prison term and a Rs 100 crore fine. Former chief minister of Tamil Nadu Jayalalithaa not only did not expect such a verdict, but also had to face the ignominy of being the first sitting chief minister to be ousted from her seat.

After the verdict though, Jaya's counsel have set a frenetic pace for appeals. Falling short of begging the Supreme Court to speed up the appeal process, her counsel have turned up diligently every day in the Karnataka High Court where her appeal is being heard. Having finally wrangled the promise of a speedy trial from the Chief Justice of India, Jaya's team of lawyers ensured that they were at trial court with requisite documents well in advance of the set date for trial. Jaya, who at one time, had blatantly disobeyed the trial court's multiple summons to appear in person, is now a model of supplication, shutting herself up inside her Poes Garden home while out on bail.

On Wednesday, karma came to bite Jaya right back, as the Supreme Court virtually slammed the brakes on her appeal process. While passing orders on another case, a special leave petition filed by the DMK, the two-judge bench of the apex court gave a split verdict. The argument was over whether the special public prosecutor in Jayalalithaa's disproportionate assets case appeal, Bhavani Singh, should be removed or not. He has been accused of helping the defendant, rather than playing the role of a public prosecutor. Justice Bhanumathi opined that Singh could continue as prosecutor in the case. Justice Madan B Lokur, however, differed. He said that Singh should be removed as trial proceedings were "vitiated".

The case now heads to a higher bench of the Supreme Court – a fresh bench of three judges will now hear the case afresh. And although Karnataka High Court judge Kumaraswamy has been given the green signal to go ahead and pass orders in Jaya's appeal, if he so wished, it is unlikely that he would do so.

Jaya now has to wait a couple of months at best and four months at worst for the Bhavani Singh question to be resolved, before her case may proceed through the usual channels. And that means remaining confined within the four walls of her Poes Garden home in Chennai.

The AIADMK is confused and nervous. With elections barely a year away, scheduled for May 2016, they need their Amma. Ministers, MPs and cadre alike are thronging temples, churches and mosques, praying for their leader's exoneration. In the meantime, all other Opposition parties in the state are already on the campaign trail.

The state government, ostensibly led by chief minister-in-waiting, O Panneerselvam, has slowed to a crawl and has softened its approach and rhetoric towards the Centre. Even though Jaya has not so much as peeked out of her window at Poes Garden, her pictures are up everywhere, all across the state, on giant cut-outs, banners, posters and even on mud pots set up by the party to provide water to pedestrians on the roads. After three years of raving and ranting at the erstwhile UPA government, stomping out of meetings in Delhi, dashing off angry letters to then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh "demanding" action on various fronts, Jaya and the AIADMK state government are now almost simpering in their tone and tenor. "Please" and "request" are now the new jargon for letters to the Centre!

Chief Minister Panneerselvam makes a feeble attempt at taking on the Centre for not providing enough money to the state during the recently concluded Budget session of the state Assembly. A day later, he rises in Assembly, to clarify that he was not criticising the Centre but simply making an observation.

The shoe, sadly, is now on the other foot, as far as Jayalalithaa is concerned. She is stuck between a rock and a hard place, unable to move too much and yet fighting back in her own way. Never let it be said though, that she never backs down. When it comes to self preservation, every politician turns follower of rules overnight. Jaya is no exception. Only, in her case, the fall from grace needs to be rectified with great urgency as elections loom around the corner.

Karma is truly a female dog!