New Delhi, Aug 12: A Chennai court has awarded a six-month jail sentence and a fine of Rs 5,000 to veteran actress Jaya Prada in a case that dates back several years and pertains to her failure to pay Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) funds to her theatrical business employees in the state’s commercial hub.
Besides, Jaya Prada’s business associates, Ram Kumar and Raja Babu, were also found guilty in the same case.
Sources said the actress and her business associates owned a movie theatre in Chennai a few years ago. But due to unbearable losses, they shut down the cinema hall. Employees from the theatre raised a complaint, alleging that Jaya Prada had not distributed the ESI funds that had been deducted from their salaries.
In the subsequent hearing held at a Chennai court, Jaya Prada made an offer to settle the amount owed to the workers. However, the legal representative for ESI raised objections to this proposal, resulting in the judge passing a six-month imprisonment sentence for the actor.
