The Supreme Court on Friday termed the Rs. 66.65-crore disproportionate assets case involving the former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa as a “hot cake” and decided to hear DMK leader K. Anbazhagan’s plea to remove Special Public Prosecutor Bhavani Singh on March 9 after properly studying the case records.
A Bench, led by Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose, however refused to stay the ongoing hearing of the appeals in the Karnataka High Court. The next date of hearing in the High Court is March 4. Justice Ghose said the Bench needed to go through the case files before hearing Mr. Anbazhagan’s plea and passing an impartial and fair order.
“We don’t want to be a politician. We are not political men. We have never taken up or decided any matter because the person involved in it is a politician,” Justice Ghose observed, before adjourning the case.
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Mr. Anbazhagan had moved the Supreme Court on February 20 against two orders passed by the High Court earlier this month. In the first order of February 5, the High Court dismissed Mr. Anbazhagan’s plea to help the prosecution in the appeals, observing that he was a “political opponent” and had no statutory right. On February 11, the court rejected his challenge and held that Mr. Singh was entitled to appear as Special Public Prosecutor in the appellate stage without any written authority.
Mr. Anbazhagan recounted that 2013, he had given “a representation to the government of Karnataka and the Hon’ble Chief Justice of the High Court of Karnataka against Bhavani Singh, detailing the allegations of collusion with the accused.”
Mr. Anbazhagan denied that his view was coloured by “political vendetta.” “In a democracy, political opponents play an important role both inside and outside the House,” he said.
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