Speaker examining CBI's letter in Jaya case

Chennai, June 28 : Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker R Avudaiyappan today said that he was examining a letter from CBI, seeking permission to file a chargesheet against former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in the case relating to alleged receipt of gifts worth Rs two crore by her on the occasion of her birthday in 1992.

Confirming the receipt of the letter, Mr Avudaiyappan, told newspersons that the CBI had also sent volumnous documents pertaining to the case and he was examining them.

''After going through all the documents, we will take a decision,'' the Speaker said answering a question.

He replied in the negative when asked whether there was any time limit for him to reply to the CBI.

The Speaker is likely to seek legal opinion from the Advocate General, before communicating to the central investigating agency, sources said.

A Delhi-based Superintendent of Police from the agency, had handed over a letter and a 180-page report, giving details of the investigation done by the agency in the case, to the Speaker's secretary here on June 23, and sought permission to file the chargesheet.

The CBI had moved the Speaker's office as the Supreme court, in the ''Narasimha Rao Vs Union Government'' case, in 1998, had said that permission was required from the Speaker of the State Legislatures and Parliament to file a chargesheet against MLAs and MPs, who were public servants. The case was initially registered against Ms Jayalalithaa in 1996, by the anti-corruption wing under the Prevention of Corruption Act, on a complaint by the Director General (Investigations) of Income Tax, relating to gifts allegedly received by her.

It was later transferred to the CBI, after it was found that the gifts, included two cheques of US dollars. In all, Ms Jayalalithaa had allegedly received 89 demand drafts for Rs two crore, purchased in the names of 57 people besides Rs 15 lakh in cash.

Though the CBI had taken up the case in 1996, it could complete the probe only last year, as part of the investigations had to be carried out in London and the US the sources said.

State Director General of Police (DGP) D Mukherjee, while heading the CBI, himself had gone to both these countries and investigated the case.

The CBI could not seek permission for filing a chargesheet when Ms Jayalalithaa was in power last year, as the agency wanted to complete other formalities like obtaining legal opinion from the Attorney General of India, the sources added.

UNI