HC reserves orders on petitions filed by Jaya, Sasikala

Chennai, Nov 17 (UNI) The Madras High Court today reserved orders on petitions filed by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and her close aide Sasikala Natarajan in connection with the Income Tax Return cases.

Ms Justice Prabha Sridevan reserved orders, after hearing elaborate arguments from both sides, on the petition filed by Ms Jayalalithaa and Sasikala, challenging an order of the Economic Offences Court, which rejected their plea to discharge them from three Income Tax Return cases and on the petition questioning the Constitutional validity of Section 278(E) of the Income Tax Act.

The Income Tax Department had file a case against Jayalalithaa for failing to file income tax returns for the assessment year 1993-94.

The Income Tax Department also registered two more cases against Sasi Enterprises, in which Jayalalithaa and Sasikala were partners, for failing to file income tax returns for the assessment years 1991-92 and 92-93.

Following these cases, Jayalalithaa and Sasikala filed a petition before the Economic Offences Court seeking discharge from the cases.

But the Economic Offences Court had dismissed both their petitions, against which they preferred the latest petitions in Madras High Court.

UNI XR AJ MQA HT1742