Chennai: The Madras High Court today confirmed the orders of the Special Court for CBI cases, which in 2010 awarded two years rigorous imprisonment to M Natarajan, husband of the ousted general secretary of the AIADMK VK Sasikala. The case relates to the illegal purchase of an imported Lexus car.

Justice G Jayachandran upheld the lower court order while dismissing the appeals from Natarajan and three others.

According to prosecution, the CBI in the case, Natarajan and Baskaran had imported the new Lexus car from the UK with the help of one Yogesh Balakrishnan, and the then manager of Indian Overseas Bank Sucharitha Sunderarajan, in 1994. The four managed to evade tax on the luxury car by claiming that it was a second-hand vehicle purchased in 1993.

However, the four were caught by the Customs, from whom the case was transferred to the CBI. At the end of the trial, all four were convicted by the trial court sentenced them to a two-year jail term, in 2010.