Court dismisses SPP plea in Jaya wealth case

A special court here today dismissed a plea by the Special Public Prosecutor in the disproportionate assets case against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and three others seeking a direction to produce before it the seized silver articles belonging to her.
Judge Michael D'Cunha dismissed the plea of Special Public Prosecutor Bhavani Singh, saying he had filed it only with the purpose of delaying the proceedings.
"The SPP has not taken any interest to file such a petition for the past one-and-a-half-years. Now all of a sudden he files it only to delay the proceedings," he said.
Tamil Nadu Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) had on February 15 filed a report saying V Bhaskaran, the then Secretary to Jayalalithaa, who was entrusted with the silver articles, was untraceable.

DVAC also stated there were no records found in Chennai City Corporation establishing the death of Bhaskaran.
However, counsel for DMK General Secretary K Anbazhagan, on whose plea the case was transferred to Bangalore from Chennai, and R Thamaraiselvan, MP, produced Bhaskaran's death certificate issued by Vellore Corporation on January 9 this year.

According to the certificate, Bhaskaran had died on December 2 last year.
The Judge recorded the same and directed the SPP and Jayalalithaa's counsel to verify the death certificate.
He also observed that Singh's attitude was not genuine and unbelievable and he was aware of Bhaskaran's death.

Anbazhagan, in his objection on February 4, had alleged the SPP had filed the petition inspite of being fully aware of the death of Bhaskaran.
The Judge posted the matter to March 7 and directed Singh to resume arguments in the main case in which Jayalalithaa had been charged with accumulating Rs 66 crore wealth disproportionate to her known sources of income during 1991-95 when she was the Chief Minister.