Timeline of Jayalalithaa's disproportionate assets' case

Chennai, May 11: Timeline of the disproportionate assets' case against former Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa and her three aides that dragged for over 18 years:

1996:

June 14: Former union law minister Subramanian Swamy files complaint against Jayalalithaa.

June 18: The DMK government directs the Director of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) department to register an FIR against Jayalalithaa for allegedly possessing unaccounted assets.

1997:

June 4: Chargesheet filed in a Chennai court in the Rs.66.65-crore disproportionate assets case against Jayalalithaa and three others.

October 21: Chennai court frames charges against Jayalalithaa, V.K. Sasikala, V.N. Sudhakaran and J. Ilavarasi.

2002:

March: Jayalalithaa takes charge as chief minister for the second term.

November 2002 to February 2003: In all, 76 witnesses were recalled and they withdraw their previous statements.

February 28, 2003: DMK leader K. Anbazhagan moves Supreme Court for transfer of trial out of Chennai.

November 18: Supreme Court orders transfer of trial to a special court in Bangalore (now Bengaluru) while observing that 'fair trial was not going on' in the Chennai court.

December 2003 to March 2005: A special court set up in Bangalore and B.V. Acharya named Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) for the case.

2010:

January 22: Supreme Court clears way for trial of the case; and trial commences.

December 2010 to February 2011: Prosecution examines witnesses.

2011:

May 16: Jayalalithaa returns to power and becomes chief minister for third time.

October 20 and 21; November 22 and 23: Jayalalithaa appears in person in the special court and answers questions posed by the SPP and the special judge.

2012:

August 13: G. Bhavani Singh appointed SPP.

August 23: Anbazhagan moves the Karnataka High Court questioning Bhavani Singh's appointment in place of Acharya.

August 26: Karnataka government removes Bhavani Singh as SPP.

August-September: Bhavani Singh moves Supreme Court, which reinstates him.

September 30: Special court judge Balakrishna retires.

October 29: Karnataka High Court appoints John Michael Cunha as special court judge.

2014:

August 28: Trial concludes. Special court says verdict will be pronounced on September 20.

September 15: Jayalalithaa requests for change of location, citing security reasons.

September 16: Special court allows Jayalalithaa's plea, orders for shifting venue near Bengaluru central jail and postpones verdict to September 27.

September 27: Special Court convicts Jayalalithaa and her three accomplices, sentences them to four-year jail terms and imposes Rs.100 crore fine on her (Jayalalithaa) and Rs.10 crore each on three co-convicts. Jayalalithaa and her three accomplices arrested and lodged in the Bengaluru central jail.

October 7: Karnataka High Court rejects bail applications of Jayalalithaa and the three co-convicts.

October 17: Supreme Court stays sentence of Jayalalithaa and grants three month interim bail till December 18, allowing her to appeal against the conviction and the sentence in the Karnataka High Court.

October 18: Jayalalithaa released from central jail and returns to Chennai.

November 12: Tamil Nadu legislative assembly Speaker P. Dhanpal disqualifies Jayalalithaa from being a lawmaker and from contesting elections for 10 years, including four years of her sentence and six more years under section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

December 18: Supreme Court extends Jayalalithaa's bail by four months and directs the Karnataka High Court to appoint a single bench to hear her appeal against the conviction and sentence.

2015:

January 1: Karnataka High Court sets up single bench with Justice C.R. Kumaraswamy as its judge to hear the appeals of Jayalalithaa and the three co-convicts with a three-month deadline.

January 6: Anbazhagan challenges the appointment of Bhavani Singh as SPP by the Tamil Nadu government on jurisdictional ground since the appeals were being heard in the Karnataka High Court.

March 11: Justice Kumaraswamy reserves verdict on completion of arguments by prosecution and defence counsels of Jayalalithaa and her three co-convicts.

April 15: A division bench of the Supreme Court gives split verdict on removal of Bhavani Singh as SPP and recommends fresh hearing by a larger bench.

April 17: A Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice H.L. Dattu, extends bail of Jayalalithaa and the three co-convicts till May 12 on the expiry of the four-month extended interim bail given on December 18.

April 27: A three-bench of the Supreme Court quashes Bhavani Singh's appointment as SPP, terming the Tamil Nadu government's decision 'bad in law' and directs the Karnataka government to appoint a new SPP on April 28.

April 28: The Karnataka government appoints B.V. Acharya as new SPP, who seeks dismissal of the appeals by Jayalalithaa and the three co-convicts.

May 11: The single bench judge Justice Kumaraswamy acquits Jayalalithaa and the three co-convicts by dropping charges against them and upholding their appeals against the conviction and the sentence.