New Delhi: The last thing Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa would have wanted this close to the General Election was more legal trouble. In a setback, the Supreme Court cleared the continuation of trial against her for not filing income tax returns in her capacity as a partner of a firm she had set up with her close aide Sasikala.

A case was filed against them after neither the company nor the partners filed income tax returns for three consecutive years 1991-92, 1992-93 and 1993-94.

They contended that they had no income in the period from the enterprise, therefore there was no need to file income tax returns.

However, a court in Chennai rejected their stand and observed that not filing tax returns is an offence and they will face trial.

The high court rejected their appeal against the trial court verdict, following which they approached the apex court.

Today the SC rejected their appeal and directed the lower court to go ahead with the prosecution of Jayalalithaa. The court also set a deadline of four months to complete the trial.

Following the order, Jayalalithaa is left with no other option but to fight her case in the lower court.

If found guilty, she may face penal action.

Jayalalithaa is also fighting a disproportionate assets case. She is facing charges that she accumulated assets worth Rs 66.65 crore disproportionate to her known sources of income as Tamil Nadu chief minister from 1991 to 1996.