The DMK on Monday decided to appeal against the Karnataka High Court verdict acquitting Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa of all charges in the disproportionate assets case. An urgently convened meeting of the district secretaries of the DMK, presided over by party chief M Karunanidhi, decided to approach the Supreme Court challenging the Karnataka HC verdict which upheld the appeal filed by Jayalalithaa challenging the Special Court order sentencing and convicting her in the case.
Alandur Bharati, head of the DMK legal cell, told reporters after the meeting that the party has 90 days to file the appeal. “The date and time of filing the appeal in the Supreme Court will be decided by the party leadership at the right time. We are also watching the moves of the Karnataka Government with respect to the appeal to be filed in the Supreme Court,” he said. But Subramanian Swamy, the original complainant in the case, said the DMK has no local stand to file any petition challenging the verdict. “Only the prosecution and the complainant are the competent persons to file the appeal. The prosecutor (Acharya) and I get the priority in filing the appeal,” said Swamy.