Actress and ex-MPJayaprada gets six-months jail, fine for ESI dues

Egmore: Actor and former MP Jayaprada, was sentenced to six months imprisonment by a Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Egmore for failing to comply with the statutory obligations of payment of contributions due to the Employees State Insurance (ESI) Corporation.

A fine of Rs 5, 000 has also been imposed on Jayaprada. The actress, her brothers Ramkumar and Raj Babu were partners of Jayaprada Cinema, which went defunct.

Under Section 40 of the ESI Act, the Principal Employer should pay both the contributions - employer’s share of contribution, and employees’ share of contribution in respect of every employee in the first instance and the principal employer is entitled to recover from the employees, their share of contribution from their wages relating to the period in respect of which the contribution is payable.

Filing a complaint with II Metropolitan Magistrate Court against the cinema and partners, the ESI Corporation said the firm and partners failed to comply with the statutory obligations of payment of contributions due to the ESI in the exercise of powers conferred under Section 45-A, determined the contribution due of ₹8,17,794 from January 1, 1991, to September 30, 2002.

T.N.C. Kaushik, standing counsel for ESI, submitted that the partners of the cinema, who were in charge and responsible for the conduct of the business at the time of the commission of offence and so were vicariously liable for the said offence.

The II Metropolitan Magistrate C. Sundarapandian convicted Jayaprada and Raj Babu and sentenced them to six months imprisonment besides imposing the fine.

The court sentenced them to undergo six months of simple imprisonment in four more cases filed ESI corporation against them for non-payment of contributions.

Jayaprada is known for working in Telugu and Hindi cinema, delivering a number of commercially successful movies.

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