Tamil Nadu CM`s assets: SC quashes prosecutor`s withdrawal
In a relief to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, the Supreme Court quashed the withdrawal of Special Public Prosecutor Bhavani Singh in a disproportionate assets case against her.
|Last Updated: Sep 30, 2013, 11:52 AM IST|Source: Bureau
New Delhi: In a relief to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, the Supreme Court on Monday quashed the withdrawal of Special Public Prosecutor Bhavani Singh in a disproportionate assets case against her.
The apex court also asked the state high court to consider giving, in consultation with the state government, an extension to the presiding judge in the case who is retiring Monday upon his superannuation.
The apex court bench headed by Justice BS Chauhan said, "We recommend that the Karnataka High Court in consultation with Karnataka state government to consider to extend the superannuation of Judge Balakrishna", given the peculiar circumstances and voluminous evidence in the case.
Jayalalithaa and two other co-accused in the case had contended that when the trial in the 18-year old case was nearing conclusion, the Congress government in Karnataka at the behest of her political rivals in Tamil Nadu politics, withdrew SPP Bhavani Singh from the case when he was in the third day of his final arguments.
The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister had said that following the withdrawal of SPP Bhavani Singh and trial court judge`s retirement, leaving the case inconclusive, the new public prosecutor and the trial court judge would take time to familiarise themselves with the case. The evidence alone in the case runs into 34,000 pages.
DMK general secretary K Anbazhagan had moved the Karnataka High Court, seeking the removal of SPP Bhavani Singh. At that point of time, Singh was withdrawn by the state government.
Though he was brought back after Jayalaitha moved the apex court, challenging the procedure of his removal, he was again withdrawn from the case after consultation with the chief justice of the Karnataka High Court, as was provided for in the earlier order of the apex court.
IANS
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.