Updated

An appeals court in southern India has acquitted powerful regional politician Jayaram Jayalalitha of corruption charges, clearing the way for her to return to public office.

Supporters from Jayalalitha's party cheered, set off fire crackers and danced in the streets of the Tamil Nadu state capital of Chennai, her hometown, after the Karnataka High Court in Bangalore delivered its verdict Monday.

The 67-year-old Jayalalitha, a film star in her youth, said in a statement that the verdict showed she'd done nothing wrong, and that the case was "foisted (on me) by political enemies."

In throwing out the prosecution's case, Justice C.R. Kumaraswamy said the prosecution had failed to prove Jayalalitha was guilty.