With the Supreme Court striking down an appeal to defer the announcement of the verdict in the 18-year disproportionate assets case against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, a final decision is due on Saturday.
The verdict to be delivered by Special Judge John Michael D’Cunha at the court within the Parappana Agrahara prison complex in Bangalore will be politically crucial for Jayalalithaa.
The case pertaining to the period in 1991-96, her first term as Chief Minister, was filed by Subramanian Swamy in 1996 accusing her of amassing wealth worth ₹66.65 crore, which was allegedly disproportionate to known sources of her income.
The State Department of Vigilance and Anti Corruption filed the case in 1996 before a special court in Chennai.
Others accused in the case are her close associate VK Sasikala Natarajan, J Ilavarasi, niece of Sasikala, and VN Sudhakaran, a nephew.
When the AIADMK came back to power in 2001, the case was shifted to Bangalore on a directive of the Supreme Court in 2003 after DMK leader K Anbazhagan filed a plea that a fair trial was not possible in Tamil Nadu with Jayalalithaa as the Chief Minister.
According to political analysts, an adverse verdict will jeopardise her immediate political future as she could be disqualified from holding office under the Representation of People Act, 1951.
This means that she may have to step down and hand over office to one of her cabinet colleagues as happened in May 2001.
This followed her conviction in the Tansi land deal case and awarded a two-year jail term on corruption charges.
She returned to office after she was acquitted in December 2001.
Under the RPA, members of Parliament and legislatures who have been convicted and sentenced to more than two years in jail are disqualified from holding office even if they have appealed to a higher court.
This follows a landmark judgment by the Supreme Court last year which struck down the provisions in the Act that allowed three months time to appeal.
But, if she is acquitted, she will emerge much stronger in the 2016 Assembly poll, say political pundits.
Agency reports said Karnataka Government has thrown a security blanket around the court complex.