Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa will remain out on bail till May 12, the date set by the Supreme Court for the Karnataka High Court to dispose off her appeal against the order convicting her in a disproportionate assets case.
With the date earlier set by the apex court expiring on April 18, the HC judge shot a letter to the Chief Justice of India through the Karnataka HC Registrar General seeking extension till April 30. The Bench initially agreed to extend the bail of Jayalalithaa and three other accused till this date but later fixed May 12 considering that the appointment of the Special Public Prosecutor is under challenge in the Supreme Court.
This issue will be heard by a three-judge bench on April 21 in a petition filed by DMK senior leader K Anbazhagan. The matter came before a three-judge Bench following a split verdict where one judge was of the view that the continuation of SPP Bhawani Singh in the appeal proceedings was unjustified in the absence of an order appointing him by Karnataka Government. The other judge, however, said Bhawani was authorised to continue as a SPP for this case and not for a region or a specific court.
Deciding the next course of action pursuant to the letter received from Karnataka HC, the Bench of Chief Justice Hl Dattu and Justice Arun Mishra posted the matter to May 12.
Senior advocate Fali Nariman, who appeared for Jayalalithaa, submitted that the accused fully-cooperated in the appeal proceeding. Due to the petition filed by Anbazhagan, there was a restraint on the HC from passing a final order. But in view of the split verdict, Nariman volunteered to request the HC not to pass a judgment till SPP’s appointment.
BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who lodged the complaint against Jayalalithaa accusing her of amassing illegal assets of Rs66 crore during her tenure as TN CM was present in court and pointed out the recent ruckus where Madras HC lawyers boycotted Chief Justice demanding him to return to his parent State Jammu & Kashmir. But the Bench asked Swamy not to mix that issue with the case.