Chennai: In a recent legal development, the Madras High Court refused to set aside the conviction of actress and former Member of Parliament, Jayaprada.
The court’s decision comes in response to a case involving the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) and the now-defunct Jayaprada Theatre on General Patters Road in Chennai.
The ESIC had lodged complaints against Jayaprada and other partners of the theater for failing to submit the ESI contributions deducted from the salaries of theater employees. On August 10, the Egmore Metropolitan Magistrate court convicted Jayaprada and her associates for their offenses under the ESIC Act. The Magistrate court imposed a six-month sentence of simple imprisonment, along with a non-bailable warrant.
In an attempt to challenge her conviction, Jayaprada sought relief from the Madras High Court. However, her petition was ultimately dismissed by the High Court, which upheld her six-month imprisonment and the non-bailable warrant.
Justice G Jayachandran, who presided over the case, directed Jayaprada to surrender herself before the Egmore Magistrate court within 15 days. The judge further instructed the Magistrate court to grant bail to Jayaprada if she complied with the court’s orders and paid a hefty sum of Rs. 20 lakhs.