Bollywood actress Jaya Prada has been handed a six-month jail sentence in connection with a previous case. This verdict comes in light of allegations that she did not fulfill the payment obligations for Employees State Insurance (ESI) funds meant for the employees working at a cinema theater she owned.
The decision was rendered subsequent to a formal complaint filed by the theater workers themselves, who claimed that Jaya Prada had neglected her duty to contribute to their ESI financial commitments. Although it is alleged that the ESI deductions were made, the funds were not forwarded to the state insurance corporation. Feeling deprived of their entitled benefits, they resorted to legal action to seek resolution through the judicial system.
Both Jaya Prada and the three employees responsible for managing the theater had jointly submitted a plea to the Madras High Court, requesting intervention to halt the proceedings in the Egmore court. Unfortunately, the High Court rejected all three petitions.
During the subsequent hearing at the Egmore court, Jaya Prada proposed a settlement to repay the owed amount to the workers. However, the legal representative for ESI raised objections to this offer, leading the judge to issue a six-month imprisonment sentence against the actress.
Several years ago, Jaya Prada and her associates were proprietors of a cinema hall situated in Chennai. Regrettably, due to significant financial losses incurred, they were forced to cease its operations. The employees who had worked at this cinema initiated a legal case against the partners, alleging their failure to reimburse the ESI funds that had been deducted from their salaries.