J.Jayalalithaa, her associate VK Sasikala, and her ministerial colleague T. M. Selvaganapathy were charged with misusing their office to buy colour televisions at a higher price than quoted, then receiving substantial kickbacks.
Jayalalithaa was an Indian politician and four-time Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 1991–1996, 2002–06, 2011–14, and 2015–2016 from the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam[2] (AIADMK) party.
During her first tenure as Chief Minister, there were irregularities about the purchase of 45,000 colour television sets for village panchayats, which cost ₹10.16 crores (US$2,090,000).
The investigation alleged that the amount acquired through the TV dealers was routed in the form of cheques to a relative of Sasikala who had quoted Jayalalithaa's residence as her own.
The Criminal Intelligence Division (CID) of Tamil Nadu, which handled the case, argued that the purchase of 45,302 colour television sets for Panchayat community centres across the state during the regime of Jayalalithaa was corrupt.
The special court convicted seven of the nine accused of criminal conspiracy on 30 May 2000, under section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code and sentenced them to five years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of ₹10,000 (US$200).
It was also one of the earliest instances of the conviction of a member of Parliament in a corruption case, as Selvaganapathy was an MP in the Rajya Sabha at the time of the verdict.