Court begins final hearing in Jaya case

The special court in Bangalore on Thursday began the final hearing in the disproportionate assets case against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha.

After the Supreme Court refused to stay the proceedings against her on June 17, the special court Judge John Micheal D’Cunha resumed full-fledged hearing of the case, which will now be conducted daily.

Counsel S Kumar, appearing on behalf of Jayalalitha, termed the investigation against her as mala fide and politically motivated. He said the cases against Jayalalitha had been made up, based on private complaints, which was nothing but a clear case of violation. “When the complaints were registered, the authorities acted at the behest of the government. The FIRs have been registered by the IGP, who is an investigating officer,” he said.

He said about 300 statements were recorded by the investigating officer and most of them were misleading. About 30 persons were examined and were found their statements to be false, he said. Citing a statement recorded on September 18, 1996, he said the statement recorded during the FIR was not attached to the charge sheets.
 Pleas dismissed

The special court in Bangalore, hearing the disproportionate assets cases against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha, has dismissed the petition of seven companies which had sought to clear them from the case, and has levied a cost of Rs 50,000 on each of them.

The petitioners, Lex Properties, River Way, Meadow Agro Farm Ltd, Ramraj Agros and Signora had moved the court after their properties were attached in connection with the case. The prosecution had alleged that Sudhakar and Elavarasi, who are co-accused in the case, had shares in these companies.

The companies had contended that they had been dragged into the legal tangle unnecessarily, but they were in no way connected with it.