DA case: Shift Jayalalithaa to Tamil Nadu, suggests HD Deve Gowda

Bangalore: Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda on Saturday suggested that AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa, lodged at Parappana Agrahara prison here after being convicted in an illegal assets case, be shifted to Tamil Nadu as it was a burden for the state to manage the large number of protestors and also maintain law and order.

"I only appeal to the state government... Let the former chief minister (Jayalalithaa) be transferred to Tamil Nadu," he told reporters.

"...Every day a huge number of people are coming here and protesting, every day we have to manage them by deploying special police force, along with maintaining law and order here... Why should we take this burden?"

"Whether bail is given or not, we have nothing to do with it. It is a judicial matter....Why do we want this?" he asked.

A special court here had on September 27 convicted Jayalalithaa and sentenced her to four years in prison, besides imposing a Rs 100 crore fine on her.

Gowda also said the court was specially appointed for this case and cannot give bail now. "Let them go and appeal in whichever court they want... What do we have do with it?"

Jayalalithaa's plea for immediate bail in the case and suspension of the four-year sentence will come up in the Karnataka High Court on Oct 7.

PTI