Chennai:
Income tax sleuths on Thursday raided the premises of Jaya TV here and its associates over suspected tax evasion as part of ‘Operation Clean Money’, sources said.
The searches at the Tamil television channel, which is perceived to be politically disposed in favour of deposed AIADMK leaders V. K. Sasikala and T.T.V. Dhinakaran, were conducted over alleged tax evasion.
Started by late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, Jaya tv played a vital role of the AIADMK not only as a news channel but also as an entertainment channel playing movies of the matinee idols MGR and Jayalalithaa. Box office busters of the duo which was aired during election period had a sizeable number of viewership of the party workers and also the public.
The Channel came to the control of V.K.Sasikala after Jayalalithaa’s death. Family members of Sasikala, particularly her nephew Vivek Jayaraman took up the reigns of the Channel. After becoming factions, the Channel was critical of the functioning of the present Edappadi Government. Political commentators say that it was crucial time for the party even as the allocation of the two leaves symbol of the AIADMK also figuring in the Jaya TV brand is pending with the Election commission.