Finally, nemesis has its say. The all-powerful chief minister of the southern state of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalitha, is found guilty of possessing assets disproportionate to her income and convicted by a special court to four years of imprisonment with a Rs1 billion (Dh59.77 million) fine. With this judgement, the largely apathetic judiciary of India once again redeems itself. The fact that a supremely powerful politician, tainted by corruption charges for nearly two decades, could dodge the denouement no longer, gives hope for the people of India that even the most corrupt can be brought to book, provided there is a will to do so. As a leader with a mass following in her state that deifies her, Jayalalitha’s invincibility was legion. Her ability to circumvent the system was evidenced in 2001, when after being convicted for criminal offences, she was cleared of all charges by the High Court and she went on to resume her political office. Even now, though she is disqualified from office and sentenced to prison, she can move the high court to seek suspension of the sentence. The question then is, can she pull off another reprieve? After all, she is known for such legerdemainism. But given the doggedness of the case that pinned her down despite many setbacks, such an outcome happily seems bleak. India still remembers the shocking images of the raid conducted by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) at her house in 1997 that revealed wealth amassing of a monumental kind. It is a reminder still that Jayalalitha’s crime deserves punishment, even 18 years later.