Jaya gets SC notice for accepting money

The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a notice to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha on a CBI’s plea against the Madras High Court’s order quashing the FIR against her for illegal receipt of money in the early 1990s.

A bench of justices Altamas Kabir and S S Nijjar sought a response from the AIADMK chief within 4 weeks.

Additional Solicitor General H P Raval submitted that there was delay in registration of FIR against her as the alleged offences which took place between 1990 to 1993 and it came to the Income Tax department’s notice only in 1996.

The CBI approached the apex court challenging the Madras High Court verdict delivered on September 30, last year. The bench, which issued notice to Jayalalitha, however, refrained from staying the HC’s judgement which quashed the FIR against her.

According to the CBI, Jayalalitha as chief minister had received a remittance of US$3 lakh in 1992 through a demand draft issued by banker’s trust company in New York, drawn on ANZ Grindlays bank, St Helier Jersey.

The high court had quashed the proceedings against Jayalalitha on her plea that there was an inordinate delay in the investigation and trial. The CBI claimed that Jayalalitha accepted 89 demand drafts worth Rs 2 crore cash as a gift .