Jayaprada

Chennai, March 4: A property tax case has brought under glare Jayaprada’s solvency – a factor that will have a bearing on the actress-turned-politician’s continuation as member of Parliament.

The tax case involves a twin-cinema complex partnered by the MP and her brother. The Chennai Corporation had recently attached the property, named Jayaprada and Raj Theatres complex, after it allegedly ran up tax dues of Rs 20 lakh.

Jayaprada’s brother had challenged the attachment in the high court. During proceedings in the case, the solvency factor popped up.

It emerged that the same court had declared the theatres insolvent in another case in 2006, two years after Jayaprada got elected to the Lok Sabha.

The court had not specifically mentioned that the MP was bankrupt but declared insolvent “Theatre Jayaprada, represented by its partners, and Theatre Raj, represented by its partners”.

Consequent upon the order, all their assets, wherever situated, vest with the official assignee, S. Sitrarasu, a court-appointed official said.

According to the Constitution, anyone declared insolvent cannot be a member of Parliament or state legislatures.

The actress is learned to have moved the high court to set aside the previous order that had declared the two theatres off Mount Road insolvent.

She wants the insolvency petition to be heard again, sources said. The petition is likely to come up for hearing tomorrow.

In the Lok Sabha Who is Who, the MP, who won on a Samajwadi Party ticket from Rampur in Uttar Pradesh, is referred to as “P. Jaya Prada”. But in the film industry, she is referred to as Jayaprada. The sources said lawyers were also examining whether the discrepancy in the names would help her case.

The corporation had seized film stock and pieces of furniture in the theatres, leading to their closure.