Demand drafts: CBI files charge sheet against Jaya, Ministers

Chennai, July 31 (UNI) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today filed a charge sheet against Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and two of her erstwhile Cabinet colleagues in connection with the receipt of Demand Drafts (DD) amounting to Rs two crore on the occasion of her birthday in 1992.

After obtaining permission from Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker R Avudaiyappan, the CBI filed the more than 2000-page charge sheet before the Principal Special Judge trying CBI cases here.

Judge Meenakshi Sundaram accepted the charge sheet for verification and issuance of process.

The CBI, which arraigned Former AIADMK Ministers K A Sengottaiyan and Mr Azhagu Thirunavukarasu as two other accused in the case, had enclosed 285 documents in support of the charge sheet citing 149 witnesses.

Ms Jayalalithaa was charged under Section 11 of the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) for receiving valuables in the form of DDs from persons with whom she had official dealings when she was Chief Minister during 1991-96, the charge sheet stated.

Mr Sengottaiyan and Mr Thirunavukarasu, who were Ministers in the same period, were charged under Section 12 of the PCA for abetting the offence.

In all, Ms Jayalalithaa received 89 DDs amounting to more than Rs two crore, the charge sheet said.

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