Jayalalithaa directed to appear in court on June 30

Chennai: A local court here on Monday directed Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and her aide Sasikala to appear before it on June 30 "without fail" for questioning and answering charges in income tax cases against them.

When the case came up for hearing before the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) R Dakshinamurthy, petitions seeking adjournment was filed by the defence as both Jayalalithaa and Sasikala did not appear. They were directed by the court on June 3 to appear before it today. It was submitted that due to programmes already fixed, Jayalalithaa could not appear. Sasikala could not appear as she was indisposed and a medical certificate given by a competent medical practitioner, a dentist, was filed besides an x-ray report. The prosecution opposed the arguments of the defence. Certain remarks made by the prosecution was strongly objected by the counsel representing Sasikala. After hearing the arguments, ACMM directed both the accused to appear in the court on June 30 and also during the first week of July. "The petition (seeking adjournment) is allowed with conditions," he said in a brief order. In an oral observation, he told the defence counsel to make appropriate adjustments in the programmes of the Chief Minister so that she could appear in the court during the first week of July. The income tax department had launched criminal proceedings against Jayalalithaa and Sasikala for allegedly not filing returns in their individual capacity for the assessment year 1993-94. Complaints were also filed by the IT department against Sasi Enterprises represented by its partners, Jayalalithaa and Sasikala for allegedly failing to file returns for the assessment years 1991-92 and 1992-93.