MK Stalin's rally in Madurai on SundaySetting the stage for possibly another round of legal hassles for Jayalalithaa, the DMK decided in its District Secretary meeting on Monday that the party will file an appeal against the Karnataka High Court verdict in the Jayalalithaa DA case. In a statement released after the Karnataka High Court verdict acquitting Jayalalithaa, DMK chief M Karunanidhi had said that the HC verdict was not the ‘final verdict’.“It was announced in the meeting today that we will continue pursuing the case in the interest of justice and the people of Tamil Nadu,” says party spokesperson TKS Elangovan. Sources within the party said that there was near-total consensus on the issue in the closed-door meeting.Keeping in mind that targeting Jayalalithaa on the basis of the DA case could evoke sympathy, the DMK had been restrained in its attack on the TN CM on this issue for the past few months. But the party now says that today’s decision was a natural one since K Anbazhagan, General Secretary of the DMK, has been a petitioner in the case for several years. “We have a locus in the case and there is nothing new. Our party has consistently ensured that the case sees its logical end,” says KS Radhakrishnan of the DMK.In his statement this morning, Karunanidhi said, "On two earlier occasions the Supreme Court has categorically stated that the DMK has the right to participate in the proceedings of this case, so I assure that the DMK will appeal to the Supreme Court in this disproportionate assets case against Jayalalithaa." Karunanidhi also hoped that the Karnataka government, which is prosecuting the case, will file an appeal against the HC verdict. That looks unlikely, with the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee's legal cell recommending to the Karnataka government that an appeal is not be filed.DMK insiders say that since the HC judgment, the DMK has consciously decided to step up its attack on Jayalalithaa on the DA case.In the mega rally at the Madurai on Sunday, DMK treasurer MK Stalin took Jayalalithaa head-on over the DA case. The DMK has been adroitly pointing out the errors in the Karnataka HC judgment acquitting her over the days. There are reasons as to why the DMK now feels compelled to step up its attack.For one, after the judgment, the AIADMK has been increasingly making statements that Jayalalithaa’s acquittal is a vindication of their stand that the DMK was targeting Jayalalithaa due to political vendetta, an argument which was also a line of defense for Jayalalithaa in the court of law. To prevent this perception from growing, the DMK now plans to hit back hard by pointing out the errors in the judgment, and filing an appeal against the HC judgment.Following reports that the BJP is going soft on Jayalalithaa, and that the Congress government in Kerala is also unlikely to file an appeal against the HC verdict. The DMK now believes, party leaders say, that they are the only ones who can keep the heat on Jayalalithaa. “We have seen the failure in the judicial process, and other parties also seem to be courting her. So we have to persists and fight till the end. As our leader said, it is not the final verdict,” says a senior DMK leader, not wanting to be named.Read more: Why would the Congress want to support Jayalalithaa in the DA case?