Bangalore:
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa - making her first personal appearance in a Bangalore trial court to record her final statements in connection with a Rs 66-crore disproportionate assets case today - sat close to the judge and answered his questions one by one. (Read: Jayalalitha's assets under the scanner)
Ms Jayalalithaa reached the court at about 11 am, but as the day stretched into evening, many more of the 400-odd questions remained to be answered. Sources said the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister would request the judge to allow her counsel to answer the rest on her behalf so that she could head home to Chennai once court proceedings closed for the day.
But if proceedings spilled over to Friday and the court ordered her continued presence, sources said, Ms Jayalalithaa would not stay overnight in Karnataka. She would fly back to Chennai by her special aircraft and return to Bangalore tomorrow morning.
Reports from inside the court said the visiting Chief Minister was shown the utmost deference. But the many Tamil Nadu ministers accompanying her were not allowed to sit inside the court. As the court broke for lunch, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister retired to her SUV to grab a bite. Her lunch is said to have been the vegetable sandwiches that she favours on high-stress days.
A reluctant Ms Jayalalithaa is in Bangalore because the Supreme Court rejected her latest attempt to skip this appearance. The court rejected her concerns about inadequate security on Wednesday.
Karnataka makes huge security arrangements
The Karnataka government has made massive security arrangements for Ms Jayalalithaa's visit. She reached the court in a long convoy of 20 cars and all that could be seen was the khaki of policemen around.
The route from the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) airport, where Ms Jayalalithaa's special aircraft landed, to the court, has been sanitised. The court has turned into a virtual fortress; no private vehicle is allowed within one and a half kilometres. Only lawyers involved in the case have been allowed to enter the court premises. Section 144 has been imposed around the court till the hearing is over.
Ms Jayalalithaa has Z plus security in Bangalore. Apart from National Security Guard commandos escorting her for the hearing, there are 1,500 police personnel from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka on security duty. The first ring of security around the Chief Minister is made up of 500 policemen from her state. If the hearing continues tomorrow, the elaborate security arrangement is expected to stay in place for a second day. (In Pics: Jayalalithaa's political journey)
The Tamil Nadu CM's special car has been driven up to Bangalore for her - it has a light focused in a way that people can see her spotlighted in the car. As she drove up, Ms Jayalalithaa waved to people. A number of workers from her party, the AIADMK, are in Bangalore to support their leader. By her side, is close friend Shasikala Natarajan, who is also named in the disproportionate assets case. She has traveled to Bangalore too today though she is not part of the court proceedings today.
Ms Jayalalithaa is accused of accumulating wealth disproportionate to her known sources of income when she was the Chief Minister from 1991 to 1996. The case dates back to 1996 when the DMK government, then in power, suo motu filed a disproportionate assets case against Ms Jayalalithaa, based on complaints by the DMK's K Anbazhagan and Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy. Ms Jayalalithaa has denied all charges and termed it as political vendetta. This is one of several cases filed against her after her controversial tenure as Chief Minister then. (What is the disproportionate assets case against Jayalalithaa?)
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.
The case was moved out of Tamil Nadu to Karnataka to ensure a fair trial.
Will not ask for resignation: Karunanidhi
In Chennai, DMK chief M Karunanidhi sounded satisfied at his bete noir being forced to go to Bangalore.
"Jayalalithaa has bowed to justice," he said. He said the Tamil Nadu CM had "obtained adjournments only to skip personal appearance in court. But after court's intervention she has appeared." Mr Karunanidhi also said he would not seek Ms Jayalalithaa's resignation this time: "I will not seek her resignation. It's her habit."
Ms Jayalalithaa had been told last month by the Supreme Court to attend the hearing at the special court, located opposite the Central Jail, which currently houses former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa. But Ms Jayalalithaa was loath to travel to Karnataka and her lawyers had sought exemption from her appearing personally for security reasons. The Supreme Court first refused that request a few weeks ago, stating it was a "tactic by the accused to delay proceedings." The court then asked the Karnataka government to ensure that special protection was organized for Ms Jayalalithaa's hearing.
Ms Jayalalithaa, however, petitioned the Supreme Court again. In addition to challenging the security plans drawn up for her visit to Bangalore, her lawyer said that the venue for the hearing, located 65 kilometres from the airport, is too far. Unimpressed, the judges replied, "You are a public figure. How can you remain away from the public?" The bench also turned down Ms Jayalalithaa's plea to at least shift the venue of her trial closer to the airport.
The court accepted the Karnataka government's undertaking that it has made huge arrangements to ensure a safe visit for the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. "As far as law and order is concerned, we are very serious. From our side we are fully prepared to give security," Sadananda Gowda, the Chief Minister of Karnataka had said.
Ms Jayalalithaa reached the court at about 11 am, but as the day stretched into evening, many more of the 400-odd questions remained to be answered. Sources said the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister would request the judge to allow her counsel to answer the rest on her behalf so that she could head home to Chennai once court proceedings closed for the day.
But if proceedings spilled over to Friday and the court ordered her continued presence, sources said, Ms Jayalalithaa would not stay overnight in Karnataka. She would fly back to Chennai by her special aircraft and return to Bangalore tomorrow morning.
Reports from inside the court said the visiting Chief Minister was shown the utmost deference. But the many Tamil Nadu ministers accompanying her were not allowed to sit inside the court. As the court broke for lunch, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister retired to her SUV to grab a bite. Her lunch is said to have been the vegetable sandwiches that she favours on high-stress days.
A reluctant Ms Jayalalithaa is in Bangalore because the Supreme Court rejected her latest attempt to skip this appearance. The court rejected her concerns about inadequate security on Wednesday.
Karnataka makes huge security arrangements
The Karnataka government has made massive security arrangements for Ms Jayalalithaa's visit. She reached the court in a long convoy of 20 cars and all that could be seen was the khaki of policemen around.
The route from the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) airport, where Ms Jayalalithaa's special aircraft landed, to the court, has been sanitised. The court has turned into a virtual fortress; no private vehicle is allowed within one and a half kilometres. Only lawyers involved in the case have been allowed to enter the court premises. Section 144 has been imposed around the court till the hearing is over.
Ms Jayalalithaa has Z plus security in Bangalore. Apart from National Security Guard commandos escorting her for the hearing, there are 1,500 police personnel from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka on security duty. The first ring of security around the Chief Minister is made up of 500 policemen from her state. If the hearing continues tomorrow, the elaborate security arrangement is expected to stay in place for a second day. (In Pics: Jayalalithaa's political journey)
The Tamil Nadu CM's special car has been driven up to Bangalore for her - it has a light focused in a way that people can see her spotlighted in the car. As she drove up, Ms Jayalalithaa waved to people. A number of workers from her party, the AIADMK, are in Bangalore to support their leader. By her side, is close friend Shasikala Natarajan, who is also named in the disproportionate assets case. She has traveled to Bangalore too today though she is not part of the court proceedings today.
Ms Jayalalithaa is accused of accumulating wealth disproportionate to her known sources of income when she was the Chief Minister from 1991 to 1996. The case dates back to 1996 when the DMK government, then in power, suo motu filed a disproportionate assets case against Ms Jayalalithaa, based on complaints by the DMK's K Anbazhagan and Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy. Ms Jayalalithaa has denied all charges and termed it as political vendetta. This is one of several cases filed against her after her controversial tenure as Chief Minister then. (What is the disproportionate assets case against Jayalalithaa?)
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.
The case was moved out of Tamil Nadu to Karnataka to ensure a fair trial.
Will not ask for resignation: Karunanidhi
In Chennai, DMK chief M Karunanidhi sounded satisfied at his bete noir being forced to go to Bangalore.
"Jayalalithaa has bowed to justice," he said. He said the Tamil Nadu CM had "obtained adjournments only to skip personal appearance in court. But after court's intervention she has appeared." Mr Karunanidhi also said he would not seek Ms Jayalalithaa's resignation this time: "I will not seek her resignation. It's her habit."
Ms Jayalalithaa had been told last month by the Supreme Court to attend the hearing at the special court, located opposite the Central Jail, which currently houses former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa. But Ms Jayalalithaa was loath to travel to Karnataka and her lawyers had sought exemption from her appearing personally for security reasons. The Supreme Court first refused that request a few weeks ago, stating it was a "tactic by the accused to delay proceedings." The court then asked the Karnataka government to ensure that special protection was organized for Ms Jayalalithaa's hearing.
Ms Jayalalithaa, however, petitioned the Supreme Court again. In addition to challenging the security plans drawn up for her visit to Bangalore, her lawyer said that the venue for the hearing, located 65 kilometres from the airport, is too far. Unimpressed, the judges replied, "You are a public figure. How can you remain away from the public?" The bench also turned down Ms Jayalalithaa's plea to at least shift the venue of her trial closer to the airport.
The court accepted the Karnataka government's undertaking that it has made huge arrangements to ensure a safe visit for the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. "As far as law and order is concerned, we are very serious. From our side we are fully prepared to give security," Sadananda Gowda, the Chief Minister of Karnataka had said.
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