Jaya case: B V Acharya vs Bhavani Singh; How do they compare?

Bengaluru, April 28: Senior counsel B V Acharya is back as the Special Public Prosecutor in the high profile J Jayalalithaa case. When the case was first transferred to Karnataka from Tamil Nadu, Acharya was the first prosecutor in the case and he argued the matter before the trial court for almost 7 years before he decided to step down.

This paved the way for the appointment of Bhavani Singh as the Special Public Prosecutor in the case. He was in fact the prosecutor in the case when the verdict was finally delivered in which J Jayalalithaa was sentenced to 4 years imprisonment and fined Rs 100 crore. [Exclusive: Prosecutor Bhavani Singh speaks about his ordeal to fight against Jayalalithaa]

When B V Acharya began arguing the matter in the trial court, he was firm and not once did give a chance for any sort of controversy. He was never lenient while the accused made frivolous demands seeking time extension.

The 81 year old Acharya is considered to be one of the best in the Karnataka High Court. He has been an advocate general several times and is through with the subject.

During the arguments that he advanced before the trial court as the SPP, he was never seen fumbling and since day one was clear that this is a classic case for conviction. There were several attempts that were made to run him down, but he stood his ground and always focused on the case.

However the only issue that some persons have raised is that he was emotional. He decided to step down as the SPP from the case citing pressure from some quarters. He had even written in his book that he faced some pressure and hence decided to step down.

However during the time he was the SPP, the arguments that he advanced were probably to the point and the court never found much scope to interfere with the same. Several points that were raised by him were part of the final order delivered by the trial court and this itself shows that his arguments were precise, no nonsense and to the point.

Case after Acharya:

The case was taken over by Bhavani Singh after Acharya stepped down. Bhavani Singh has over 3 decades of experience practicing on the criminal side. He has been an additional public prosecutor for the state of Karnataka for several years.

However Singh's stint was marred by confusion and controversy with his appointment being questioned every now and then. The DMK reprsentatives in court decided to take him on by hurling allegations at time several times.

However Singh never countered those arguments and each time he was asked about it, he always said, " let them say what they want." His arguments during the trial were limited since a bulk of the job had already been done by the time he took over.

In the High Court there were some issues raised when he had initially opposed bail for Jayalalithaa but later on told the court that they do not oppose the bail plea. The court however did not consider his view-point and rejected her bail plea.

However in the mail appeal, most of the submissions made by Singh were written and it ran into 150 pages. Several colleagues of Singh say that he is extremely soft spoken and many times never takes a technical approach to a case.

In such cases, a technical approach is needed at times since this deals with disproportionate assets. Others would also say that he was too soft spoken for a case of this nature. The defence counsel always tried to get the better of the prosecution and they at times needed a fitting reply. In these respects, Singh was soft during his arguments, many say.

However Singh says that there is nothing to be melodramatic and let people say what they want. My job was to make my submissions and I have done just that. As I have told you earlier, I have no personal interest in the case, Singh also says.

OneIndia News