When Jayalalithaa's luxury bus wowed journos, judge alike!

The special court in Chennai was already awe-struck by the three suitcases full of jewellery, but what really floored them was a luxury bus designed for former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa

It was the year 2000, and the special court in Chennai had started evaluating the assets belonging to Jayalalithaa which the prosecution had said was disproportionate to her known source of income.

The first task for the judge was to evaluate the jewellery which was filled in three suitcases. However it was a bus that caught the eye of both the court staff as well as the journalists who were present in the court.

Over a cup of coffee with fellow journalists from Chennai, the tale of this luxury bus was narrated. Journalists recall the luxury bus that was purchased by Jayalalithaa. The bus had come up several times during the arguments that were advanced in the Bengaluru court as well. The bus was designed by a Sikh gentleman in Mumbai on request. It was one of the exhibits in the Chennai court.

The bus was brought to the court and journalists had lined up to see it. Equipped with a bathroom with shower, conference table, television and a telephone, it was quite a sight back then, journalists recall.

The gentleman was called by the court for examination. During his examination, he said that he was the owner of a company in Mumbai. He said that his job was to modify buses and supply them on request. "I had designed a similar bus for Sridevi among other celebrities as well," he told the court.

The court asked, "Whom and where did you deliver the bus to?" He replied that he had personally delivered the bus to Poes Garden. The prosecutor asked the next question, "Did you deliver the bus to Jayalalithaa?" There was another madam there, he said while referring to Sasikala.

Another interesting story is that the gentleman was unable to take flight back to Mumbai as the cross-examination went on for long. The prosecution then made arrangements for his return journey.

OneIndia News