NEW DELHI: A special CBI court sentenced Jaya Jaitly, a close associate of former defence minister George Fernandes, and Major General S P Murgai (retired) for four years for seeking to influence defence purchases during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government for monetary gains.
Gopal Pacherwal, a political colleague of Jaitly, was also given a four-year jail term in what is known as the Tehelka sting case of 2001, which forced Fernandes to quit as defence minister and caused embarrassment to the Vajpayee government and the BJP.
The judgment marked a huge setback to Jaitly, known for her pioneering work in promoting handicrafts through her Dastkari Haat Samiti and setting up Dilli Haat. However, she na