CHENNAI: The Egmore metropolitan magistrate court on Friday awarded a six-month sentence to south Indian and Bollywood film star Jayaprada, a former MP, on charges of non-payment of Employees State Insurance (ESI) fund for employees working in the cinema theatre owned by her in the city.
The verdict was given on a petition by the workers of the theatre who complained that Jayaprada had not paid their ESI amount. The workers of the theatre which has been closed for the last 10 years said the management was deducting ESI amount but did not pay the money to the state insurance corporation. Since they were denied their dues, they were forced to move the court, they said.
Jayaprada and the three employees who run the theatre had filed a petition in the Madras High Court seeking to stop the proceedings in the Egmore court. But, all the three petitions were dismissed by the High Court.
When the case came up before the Egmore court, Jayaprada offered to pay the amount received from the workers. But the lawyer for ESI objected to this and the judge sentenced the actor to six months jail.
