CBI court gives chargesheet copies to Jaya in gift case

Chennai, Sep 18: A Special Court trying CBI cases today furnished copies of the chargesheet to former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK General Secretary J Jayalalithaa in the more than a decade-old Rs two crore gift case.

In the absence of Ms Jayalalithaa, whose personal appearance in the case was dispensed with, the copies of the chargesheet, running into about 2000 pages, were handed over to her counsel N Jyothi by Principal Special Judge S Meenakshisundaram.

However, chargesheet copies in respect of two other accused--the then Ministers K A Sengottaiyan and Azhagu Thirunavukkarasu--would be furnished later after issuance of summons to them.

It may be recalled that Ms Jayalalithaa, while appearing before the court on September 14, had filed a petition seeking to dispense with her personal appearance and pleaded that the chargesheet copies could be handed over to her counsel.

The CBI counsel had on September 14 said that it had no objection in the court dispensing with the personal appearance of Ms Jayalalithaa. Today, on behalf of the CBI, it was submitted that the copies of the chargesheet could be given to Ms Jayalalithaa even in the absence of the other two accused.

The chargesheet was filed before the court on July 31 this year. The CBI case was that Ms Jayalalithaa had accepted 89 demand drafts worth Rs two crore and Rs 15 lakh in cash on her birthday in 1992 when she was the Chief Minister during 1991-96. According to the CBI, the DDs drawn on various banks in Tamil Nadu were purchased in the name of 57 persons.

The DDs were credited to her savings bank account with Canara Bank, Mylapore Branch.

While she was charged under Sec 11 (Receiving valuables from persons with whom she/he had official dealings) of the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA), 1988, the other two were charged under Sec 12 (abetting the commission of the offence) of the same Act.

UNI