Veteran actress and former Member of Parliament Jaya Prada has been sentenced to six months in prison and has been fined Rs. 5000 in the ESI funds case by a Chennai court. The actress was reportedly found guilty of failing to pay Employees' State Insurance funds for theatrical business in Chennai’s commercial hub. Reports further reveal that her colleagues Ram Kumar and Raja Babu were also found guilty in the same case.
According to a report in Hindustan Times, Jaya Prada owned a theatre in Chennai which eventually was shut down. The workers at the theatre had reported that the actress had not paid ESI funds to the workers and it was deducted from the salaries of the employees. It was alleged by them that the funds were not paid to the Government Insurance Corporation.
Then, a complaint was filed by the Labour Government Insurance Corporation against Jaya Prada and her associates at the Egmore Magistrate Court in Chennai. Though Jaya Prada promised to clear the pending dues and wanted the dismissal of the case, the court did not adhere to the request.
Jaya Prada remained one of the top actresses in the country and was at her peak in the 70s, 80s and early 90s. Upon quitting the industry, she became a Rajya Sabha MP and a Lok Sabha MP. In 2019, she joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). ALSO READ: Veteran film star Jaya Prada all set to grace the show Sasural Simar Ka 2 in a special sequence
