JOIN USThe High Court of Karnataka dismissed on Friday the criminal petition filed by Sasikala Natarajan, a one-time aide of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha, seeking the Tamil translation of the questions framed by the trial court in the disproportionate assets case.
Justice Narayanappa Ananda upheld the order of the trial court on Sasikala’s petition pertaining to the translation process, and held that there was no need to “interfere” with the lower’s court order.
Justice Ananda said the trial judge had held that the interpreter was directed to interpret the questions to be posed to Sasikala from English to Tamil, and her answers to the same from Tamil to English, when she records her statement. The interpreter would continue to do so, the trial judge had held. Hence, there was no need to provide the questions and answers in written Tamil well in advance as demanded by Sasikala, Justice Ananda said.
Sasikala, one of the accused in the disproportionate assets case filed against Jayalalitha, had filed a criminal petition on December 16, 2011, seeking translated versions of the questions.
Bopaiah’s plea
The High Court has reserved orders on criminal petitions filed by the Legislative Assembly Speaker K G Bopaiah and three others seeking quashing of the FIR lodged by the Lokayukta police against them.
Hearing the arguments on both sides on Friday, Justice Narayanappa Ananda reserved the orders. Bopaiah’s counsel, Vijayashankar, submitted that “there was no case against his client” with regard to the alleged misuse of funds sanctioned for the construction of a lake at Thithimathi in Kodagu district.
“Bopaiah, as Virajpet MLA, had no role to play as it was in accordance with a government order that the work be entrusted with Kodagu Nirmiti Kendra,” Vijayashankar submitted. Besides, none of the offences in the FIR relate to the present facts of the case, he maintained.