Bangalore:
For someone who tried very hard to get out of a court appearance, J Jayalalithaa put on a remarkably good show today, waving to supporters during a 65-km drive from the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) airport to a special court at the city's Central Prison. A convoy of 26 cars escorted her. Apart from National Security Guard commandos, there were 1,500 police personnel from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka on duty for her visit. Ms Jayalalithaa herself travelled in the car she uses in Chennai - it's lit from within to ensure people can see her spotlighted as she drives past.
Those who missed the spectacle can line up tomorrow - after answering 380 questions in court today, the Chief Minister is flying back to Chennai and will return tomorrow morning for a second day in court. The extensive security drill will be repeated.
The case against her, filed by her arch-rivals in the DMK, accuses her of misusing an earlier term in office - from 1991 to 1996 - to collect assets worth 66 crores that cannot be accounted for against her known sources of income at the time. The case was transferred from Tamil Nadu to Karnataka in 2003 after the DMK said a free and fair trial was unlikely in her some state. Ms Jayalalithaa has dismissed the charges against her as political vendetta.
In the last few weeks, Ms Jayalalithaa asked the Supreme Court twice to exempt her from a personal appearance in court. She said the Karnataka government had not made enough security arrangements for her visit, and that the airport was too far from the court. Both reasons were rejected by the Supreme Court.
In court today, Ms Jayalalithaa sat close to the judge. Only 15 people were allowed inside the court. "She gave very crisp, to the point and relevant answers to the judge," praised her lawyer, BN Kumar.
Along with the chief minister, three other people are listed as the accused, including her constant companion, Shasikala, who was present with her. The Chief Minister chose to have lunch - her favourite vegetarian sandwich - in a special car that drove down from Chennai.
Among the assets under scrutiny in the case are farm houses and bungalows in Chennai; vast tracts of agricultural land in Tamil Nadu; a farm house in Hyderabad; a tea estate in the Nilgiris; jewelry worth crores of rupees; industrial sheds; cash in banks and investments; and a fleet of luxury cars.
In Chennai, DMK chief M Karunanidhi seemed pleased that his party's case against the chief minister was delivering political dividends. "Jayalalithaa has bowed to justice," he said. However, he said "I will not seek her resignation. It's her habit."