Bengaluru, May 11 (DHNS): The High Court of Karnataka will deliver its verdict on the appeal by former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalitha challenging a special court order convicting her in the disproportionate assets case on Monday.

Justice C R Kumaraswamy will pronounce the orders on the appeals filed by Jayalalitha and her associates V K Sasikala, V N Sudhakaran and J Ilavarasi against the Special Court Judge Michael D’Cunha’s order of September 27, 2014. The special court had sentenced them to four years in jail and imposed a heavy fine of Rs 100 crore on the AIADMK supremo and Rs 10 crore each on three others.

On February 21, the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court had constituted a special bench of Justice Kumaraswamy to hear the appeals. The bench was set up based on the December 18, 2014 direction of the Supreme Court for hearing the appeals on a day-to-day basis.

According to legal experts, Jayalalitha need not be present personally in the court when Justice Kumaraswamy delivers the judgement, just a day ahead of the three-month deadline set by the Supreme Court to complete the hearing on appeals.

An acquittal would enable a big political comeback for Jayalalitha, who has waged many legal battles and seen several ups and downs in her long political career.

An adverse outcome, however, would accentuate uncertainty and cause more worries about her future as well as that of her party. Jayalalitha will remain disqualified, under the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, from contesting elections for a period of ten years, four years from the date of conviction and six years thereafter, unless a superior court sets aside the conviction.

Meanwhile, anticipating arrival of thousands of AIADMK supporters from Tamil Nadu on Monday, the Bengaluru City police have imposed prohibitory orders in one-km radius of the High Court from 6 am to 6 pm. The police have also heightened security around the High Court.