Jayalalitha To Face Trial In Coal Scam: Sc

AIADMK leader J Jayalalitha will have to face trial in the Rs 6.5 crore coal import scam following an order by the Supreme Court yesterday which set aside the Chennai Special Court's direction discharging her from the corruption case. The Madras High Court had upheld the special court's verdict.

The Supreme Court bench consisting of Justice K T Thomas and Justice R C Lahoti said in their order: "We have no doubt in our mind that the (trial) court would not, and should not, have discharged Jayalalitha at this premature stage in respect of the offences charged against the other nine accused persons."

 

According to the prosecution, the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, and some others, with the connivance of some foreign coal suppliers, had entered into a criminal conspiracy to import coal for the use of the state electricity board during 1992-93. This caused a huge loss to the state exchequer. The others who also face charges are the then public works department minister, the then chief secretary, former chairman of the electricity board and former secretaries of finance and industries.

Justice Thomas, who wrote the judgment, stated: "If Jayalalitha came to know of those warnings and despite them she accorded her green signal to import coal, how could it be concluded at this premature stage that she was not aware of the serious implications of the clandestine deal on the state exchequer?" This is not the stage for weighing the merits of the case, the judgment asserted.