New Delhi: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Tuesday moved the Supreme Court challenging the Bangalore trial court's order directing her to appear before it again on November 8 in a disproportionate assets case. Challenging the order, the AIADMK chief alleged in her petition that as per the apex court's direction she had already appeared before the court on October 20 and 21 and she cannot be summoned again.
She pleaded that as per the apex court's order she was supposed to personally appear before the trial court only once and she cannot be forced to appear before it again. The trial of the disproportionate assets case, allegedly involving accumulation of assets worth over Rs 66 crore by Jayalalithaa between 1991 and 1996 is going on in Bangalore court.
The DA case proceedings were shifted out of Tamil Nadu by the apex court after she feared she might be denied a fair trial in Tamil Nadu due to state's erstwhile DMK government, which she had accused of implicating her in false cases.
The trial court had on October 21 directed her to appear again on November 8, saying that her questioning remained inconclusive. During two days of hearing on October 20 and 21, she had answered 567 questions.
While answering the trial court's questions, the chief minister had said that the jewellery and other articles seized from her have been "over valued" and prayed for "revaluation". She had said that the jewellery, silverware and footwear have been over valued by Tamil Nadu's Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) and she did not own all the sarees confiscated.
DVAC has given "totally inflated figure" on the value of sarees, she had told the special court during recording of evidence. Jayalalithaa disputed that huge assets have been acquired by various companies, in which she was only a "silent partner" and pleaded her ignorance about them.
Her appearance before the trial court followed a Supreme Court order of October 19, rejecting her plea to postpone the hearing against her by a few days. The apex court had directed the Karnataka government to provide her adequate security when she had to appear before the trial court on October 20 and 21.
Police had made massive security arrangements for Jayalalithaa, who enjoys 'Z plus' category security status. Jayalalithaa had said that she was "under a threat perception" and hence the hearing in the trial court should be deferring by at least a few days and also to get the venue of the proceedings shifted closer to the airport.
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