Jayalalithaa’s application against translation dismissed

A Special Court in Bangalore on Thursday dismissed an application by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK supremo J. Jayalalithaa questioning the translation of Tamil documents into English in the disproportionate assets case.

Ms. Jayalalithaa had filed the application last week, saying that the translation was incorrect, inaccurate and that it did not reflect the true and faithful stage of the trial when it was held in Tamil Nadu.

She had urged the court to allow her application and pass an order rescinding the translated version.

Ms. Jayalalithaa and others, all of Tamil Nadu, are facing trial in a case where she is alleged to have acquired property disproportionate to her known sources of income. The case was transferred by the Supreme Court several years ago from Chennai to Bangalore. The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), Chennai, had initially investigated and filed the case against Jayalalithaa and others.

When the case was handed over to a special court (37th Sessions Court) in Bangalore, all the documents relating to the disproportionate assets case had to be translated from Tamil to English. The translation exercise took several months and it was done by a team of people knowing Tamil. Trial started after copies of the translated documents were handed over to Ms. Jayalalithaa and other accused — Illavarasi, Sasikala Natarajan and V.N. Sudhagaran.

When the case came up today, Ms. Jayalalithaa argued against the translated copies. Her advocate Navaneet Krishnan pin-pointed certain defects saying that the translation was not literal and was defective.

Special Public Prosecutor and former Advocate general B.V. Acharya said such a contention could not be taken up now. He submitted that the translated copies had been given to all the accused several years ago and that they could have raised the objection then.

The presiding Officer of the Special Court, B.M. Mallikarjunaiah, dismissed the application.

The court also posted the case for examining the witnesses on August 6, 9, 11 and 13.