DMK to move Supreme Court against Jayalalithaa's acquittal

"I firmly say that the party will file an appeal in the disproportionate assets case against Jayalalithaa in the Supreme Court," DMK president M Karunanidhi said in a statement in Chennai.

May 25, 2015 05:06 pm | Updated November 28, 2021 07:39 am IST - Chennai

DMK president M. Karunanidhi, flanked by party's deputy general secretary Durai Murugan and treasurer M.K. Stalin, during the district secretaries’ meeting in Chennai on Monday. Photo: M. Prabhu

DMK president M. Karunanidhi, flanked by party's deputy general secretary Durai Murugan and treasurer M.K. Stalin, during the district secretaries’ meeting in Chennai on Monday. Photo: M. Prabhu

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Monday said it has decided to file an appeal against >Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s acquittal in a wealth case by the Karnataka High Court.

“With Supreme Court having said twice that DMK has the right to participate in this case, I firmly say that the party also will file an appeal in the disproportionate assets case against Jayalalithaa in the Supreme Court,” DMK president M Karunanidhi said in a statement here.

The DMK has been pressing the Karnataka Government to file an appeal against the May 11 verdict of the High Court acquitting Ms. Jayalalithaa and three others in the disproportionate wealth case, which paved the way for her return as Chief Minister.

Mr. Karunanidhi’s statement on Monday came after he chaired a meeting of the party’s district secretaries where the matter was discussed.

Mr. Karunanidhi said the Special Public Prosecutor in the case, B V Acharya, and Karnataka Advocate General Ravi Varma Kumar had recommended to that government to file an appeal against Ms. Jayalalithaa’s acquittal.

“We firmly believe that Karnataka government will accept their recommendations and file the appeal,” he said.

The original complainant in the case, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, had also said he would move the apex court against Ms. Jayalalithaa’s acquittal, Mr. Karunanidhi pointed out.

DMK’s decision to take on its arch-rival comes two days after Ms. Jayalalithaa was > sworn-in as Chief Minister for a fifth time, following her acquittal in the Rs 66.66 crore disproportionate assets case by the Karnataka High Court.

The court had allowed her appeal challenging the September 27, 2014 order of the trial court in Bengaluru convicting her and sentencing her to four years imprisonment imposing a fine of Rs 100 crore.

It was on DMK’s prayer in the Supreme Court that the case was transferred to Bengaluru in 2003. Since then, DMK General Secretary K Anbazhagan had impleaded himself in the case. In the latest instance, Mr. Anbazhagan had successfully challenged before the apex court the appointment of G Bhavani Singh as SPP in the case by the Tamil Nadu Government.

The Supreme Court had on April 27 >held as bad in law the appointment of Singh as SPP , following which Karnataka government appointed Mr. Acharya in his place.

The clinching argument

The value of disproportionate assets was Rs. 2.82 crore and this value was not enough to convict them on charges of corruption, said Justice C.R. Kumaraswamy in his verdict while disagreeing with the verdict of the Special Court, which had computed the value of DA at Rs. 53.6 crore.

AIADMK chief keeps her plans under wraps

In a statement, Ms. Jayalalithaa said the verdict gave her immense satisfaction and proved that she was innocent. She warned her political opponents to end their conspiracies against her and thanked the partymen and people who prayed for her. But she did not reveal any of her plans. > Read more

What the SPP said

“Counsel for the accused were allowed to make oral arguments for nearly two months, but no prosecutor authorised by Karnataka was present during such arguments,” B.V. Acharya said. > Read more

Comment

>Trial, errors and judgment - Sanjay Hegde After a long and convoluted progress through the courts, Ms. Jayalalithaa has finally been acquitted by the High Court. But this might not be the end of the morality play, with another appeal looking likely.

>Amma’s apogee moment - A.R. Venkatachalapathy History, the Marxist cliché goes, repeats itself twice — usually as a tragedy and then as a farce. But sometimes it repeats itself as a bigger tragedy. As the implications of the Karnataka High Court’s blanket acquittal of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa are thrashed threadbare, some crucial cultural questions remain to be explored.

>Where loyalty trumps all - Meera Srinivasan Loyalty, in a sense, has been the hallmark of Tamil Nadu politics. A person’s political commitment is primarily judged, in political circles, by her steely resolve to stick to a leader no matter what he or she is accused of. So what if critics label their leaders corrupt, authoritarian or power-hungry? “None like our leader,” they will vouch, with unmistakable earnestness.

How DA came to account for less than 10% of income

  • Vigilance probe’s findings: Construction costs: Rs.27,79,88, 945 Marriage expenses: Rs.6,25,04,222
  • High Court’s findings: Construction costs: Rs.5,10,54,060 Marriage expenses: Rs.28,68,000
  • Exaggerated value: Construction costs: Rs.2,69,34,885 Marriage expenses: Rs.6,16,36,222
  • Total assets: Vigilance estimate - Exaggerated value Rs. 37,59,02,466
  • Disproportionate assets: Total assets - Total income
  • Rs.37,59,02,466-Rs.34,76,65,654 = Rs.2,82,36,812
  • Rs.2,82,36,812 x 100/Rs.34,76,65,654=

The Hindu Editorial

  • > A sensational comeback The Karnataka HC’s judgment absolving Ms. Jayalalithaa of the grave charge that she amassed wealth illegally is undoubtedly a resounding political victory for her.

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