New Delhi: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa will have to show up again in a Bangalore court in a disproportionate assets case with the Supreme Court on Friday
dismissing her plea for exemption from personal appearance, saying it cannot set a wrong precedent by giving her this privilege.
"It will tantamount to granting you privilege if we
exempt you from appearance," the court said, adding, "We
cannot set a wrong precedent".
A bench of Justices Dalveer Bhandari and Deepal Misra
while turning down Jayalalithaa`s latest plea in a series of
appeals seeking such exemption, however, asked the Bangalore
court to complete recording her statement in a day or two
during her next appearance.
The bench also asked the Bangalore court to defer her
next scheduled appearance before it on November 8 and fix a
new date after AIDMK chief`s counsel Mukul Rohatgi pleaded for
its postponement.
Rohatgi said her personal appearance is not required and
she can file her statement in writing, but the court refused
to grant the relief.
The trial court has framed 1,339 questions in the case
for Jayalalithaa. She had replied to 567 questions on her last
appearance before the court on October 20 and 21.
Jayalalithaa had moved the apex court on November one
challenging the trial court`s order directing her to appear
before it again on November.
Challenging the Bangalore court order of October 21,
Jayalalithaa had contended that as per the apex court`s
direction, she had already appeared twice before it and she
could not 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 could not be forced to appear before it again.
The disproportionate assets case allegedly involves
accumulation of assets worth over Rs 66 crore by Jayalalithaa
between 1991 and 1996.
PTI
