DMK Gen Sec files petition in HC on Jaya wealth case

Chennai, Apr 4 (UNI) DMK General Secretary K Anbazhagan today filed a petition in Madras High Court seeking to stay further proceedings pending before Chief Judge of Small Causes Court (CJSCC) here pertaining to attachment of property in the Rs 66.65 crore disproportionate wealth case, in which Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa is the prime accused.

The petition is likely to come up for hearing on April 6 before Mr Justice M Jeyapaul.

Mr Anbazhagan said in another petition filed by him, the Supreme Court by an order dated November 18, 2003, transferred the wealth case against Ms Jayalalithaa, her close aide Sasikala Natarajan, her disowned foster son V N Sudhakaran and J Elavarasi, sister-in-law of Sasikala, to a Special Court in Bangalore.

On a plea from the Director of Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption, the CJSCC ordered interim attachment of property in February 1997. The petition said, the Special Court in Bangalore, which was now seized of the case, was the appropriate court to deal with the attachment.

The pendency of the attachment before the CJSCC would be against the Supreme Court judgement, which took away the jurisdiction of the courts in Chennai, he added.

He said the CJSCC was proceeding with some petitions, which had been filed to raise the order of the attachment of the property. The property involved was the subject matter in the disproportionate wealth case now pending before the Special Court in Bangalore.

Therefore, only that court was competent to deal with attachment proceedings arising from the property.

He apprehended that present proceedings before the CJSCC were taking place without consulting the Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) and that the Director, DVAC was colluding with the accused by avoiding consultation with the SPP.

Continuation of proceedings before the CJSCC would lead to multiplicity of proceedings and gravely prejudice the case pending before the Bangalore court. It would hinder proceedings pending with the Special Court and tend to interfere with its ultimate finding.

UNI XR AA ARB HT1945