Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court began hearing on an appeal filed by AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa challenging her conviction in the disproportionate assets case. Justice C.R. Kumaraswamy began hearing after refusing the pleas of Jayalalithaa’s counsel, who sought adjournment for a few days stating that senior advocates from Delhi would be arguing the case. Earlier, Subramanian Swamy, on whose private complaint the initial probe began in 1996 before the anti-corruption wing took over the case in 1997, personally appeared before the court and requested the court to allow him to be an intervener.
Asking about its need, the judge told Swamy to make a plea in writing so that it could be considered as per law.
Meanwhile, an application has been filed on behalf of DMK leader, K.Anbazhagan to allow him as an intervened as the trial court had permitted him to assist the special public prosecutor.
DMK leader seeks role in Jaya appeal
Meanwhile, DMK veteran K Anbazhagan has once against sought to assist the prosecution against Jayalalithaa. He has filed a petition in the HC registry requesting to be impleaded as a party to the appeal proceedings, his counsel A Saravanan said.
In his petition, Anbazhagan underscored his relevance to the prosecution, and said since AIADMK’s return to power in 2011 in Tamil Nadu, the accused had been doing everything to derail the prosecution. He said he had intervened at all stages of the trial to ensure that justice is not derailed by powerful persons being tried for serious corruption charges.
Anbazhagan was part of the prosecution since 2003, when the Supreme Court accepted his request to transfer the case out of Tamil Nadu, holding that an opposition party is like a watchdog on the party in power. On August 21, 2013, the SC permitted Anbazhagan to assist the prosecution and file written submissions. Accordingly, he filed a 430-page submission in May 2014, and was also represented by his counsel in trial court proceedings throughout.
Anbazhagan said Jayalalithaa and her three associates-N Sasikalaa, J Ilavarasi and V N Sudhagaran , with the help of Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DV&AC) of the Tamil Nadu police, tried to close the case without allowing it to come to its logical end.
