A Delhi court on Tuesday granted bail to conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar in the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case connected to the alleged scam involving the AIADMK "two leaves" election symbol. The bail was granted to him by the Rouse Avenue court in the national capital. The case is linked to accusations of bribery and fraud surrounding the party's symbol dispute.
What is the case?
The PMLA case is part of a larger investigation into alleged financial misconduct and attempts to influence the allocation of the party's election symbol. Authorities have maintained that the case reflects a deeper network of fraudulent activities attributed to Chandrasekhar, who has been under scrutiny for several years.
Chandrasekhar was accused of acting as a middleman for AIADMK leader TTV Dinakaran and trying to bribe an Election Commission of India official to secure the party's two leaves symbol for the faction led by VK Sasikala. According to the prosecution, Rs 1.3 crore cash was recovered from the accused which was allegedly intended to be used for exercising undue influence with ECI.
Bail does not mean release from jail
Despite securing bail in this case, Chandrasekhar will continue to remain lodged in jail. There are 31 criminal cases registered against him in different jurisdictions. He has received bail in 26 of these but five cases are still pending against him.
Who is Sukesh Chandrasekhar?
Sukesh Chandrasekhar is known as a master of organised fraud. Born in Bengaluru, he studied at Bishop Cotton Boys' School in Bengaluru and later completed his graduation from Madurai University. He is married to actress Leena Maria Paul, who not only became his life partner but was also involved with him in several cheating cases.
His trail of deception began long ago. At just 17 years of age, he was arrested for the first time after allegedly cheating a close family friend of 1.5 crore rupees. Sukesh has often found himself in Bollywood circles as well. His name has been linked to multiple actresses, which kept him frequently associated with high-profile social circles.
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