K'taka govt withdraws Singh's appointment as SPP in Jaya case

Karnataka government has withdrawn the appointment of Bhavani Singh as the Special Public Prosecutor in the disproportionate assets case against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.
A notification on withdrawing Singh's appointment was issued yesterday, when the High Court had also issued a notice to the government on a petition filed by DMK General Secretary Anbazhagan seeking quashing of the SPP's appointment.
"The appointment of senior advocate Singh as SPP to conduct the disproportionate case against Jayalalithaa and others in the special court is hereby withdrawn with immediate effect," the notification said.
In his petition, Anbazhagan had contended that the appointment was contrary to the Supreme Court's direction.

Jayalalithaa had yesterday moved the Court seeking to implead herself in the petition.
In the High Court today, Anbazhagan filed his objections to Jayalalithaa's plea and prayed that her application be rejected, saying the impleading applicants being the accused had no say in the matter.

Anbazhagan argued that the accused cannot be provided with an opportunity to be heard regarding the appointment of the prosecutor to prosecute the case against them because such concept is alien to the principles of law.
Anbazhagan also maintained that the state government appoints the SPP under section 24 (8) of the CrPC and the said provision does not enumerate either consulting the accused or giving them an opportunity before making the appointment.

"In the case on hand it was for the state government to appoint the SPP under the said provisions in consonance with the directions issued by the Supreme Court," Anbazhagan said, adding, the accused had no role play in the appointment for public prosecutor.
He said the accused, who had "tried every trick in the book" to delay the proceedings, now seem to be taking moral high ground contending that the directions of the Supreme Court for expeditious disposal of the case is being flouted by him by filing the petition challenging SPP's appointment.
The hearing will continue tomorrow.
Jayalalithaa has been charged with accumulating Rs 66.65 crore wealth disproportionate to her known sources of income when she was CM for the first time from 1991 to 1996.