SC refuses to interfere in Jayalalithaa's gift case

The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to interfere with the 2011 order of the Madras High Court quashing a case against former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and two others for receiving an unaccounted gift of over Rs 2 crore.

Jayalalithaa and former minister Azhagu Thirunavukkarasu arrayed as accused by the CBI in the case have died while the third accused, K A Sengottaiyan, is the minister for school education in the present AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu.

A bench headed by Justice R Banumathi said that since two of the three accused in the case have died and the high court had observed that there was a delay in filing the case, there is no point in interfering with the 2011 order.

In 2012, the Supreme Court had issued a notice to Jayalalithaa and others after the CBI had challenged the 2011 order of the Madras High Court.

The agency had contended that the high court had not considered various aspects in accordance with the law.

The agency's case relates to Jayalalithaa receiving an unaccounted gift of over Rs 2 crore in 1991.