Bangalore: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa will appear in a Bangalore Court at around 11:00 am today in connection with a corruption case.
This comes after the Supreme Court rejected her latest attempt to skip that appearance. The court rejected her concerns about inadequate security on Wednesday
Ms Jayalalithaa has left for Bangalore in a special aircraft and is expected to land at Bangalore's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) airport at around 9.40 am. She will record her statement before the Bangalore trial court, located inside the Bangalore Central Jail, which currently houses former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa.
Shasikala, a close friend of Ms Jayalalithaa and who is also named in the disproportionate assets case, is going to Bangalore too. She is, however, not part of the court proceedings today.
The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu had been told last month by the Supreme Court to attend a hearing at the special court. Her lawyers have been asking for an exemption for security reasons. The Supreme Court first refused that request a few weeks ago, stating it was a "tactic by the accused to delay proceedings." The court then asked the Karnataka government to ensure that special protection was organized for Ms Jayalalithaa's hearing.
Ms Jayalalithaa, however, petitioned the Supreme Court again. In addition to challenging the security plans drawn up for her visit to Bangalore, her lawyer said that the venue for the hearing, located 65 kilometres from the airport, is too far. Unimpressed, the judges replied, "You are a public figure. How can you remain away from the public?" The bench also turned down Ms Jayalalithaa's plea to at least shift the venue of her trial closer to the airport.
The court accepted the Karnataka government's undertaking that it has made huge arrangements to ensure a safe visit for the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. "As far as law and order is concerned, we are very serious. From our side we are fully prepared to give security," Sadananda Gowda, the Chief Minister of Karnataka said. So Ms Jayalalithaa will get Z plus security in Bangalore. Apart from National Security Guard commandos escorting her for the hearing, there will be 1,500 police personnel from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka on security duty. The first circle of security around the Chief Minister will be made up of 500 policemen from her state.
Senior police officials in Bangalore say that though the city's metro will be inaugurated this morning in a high-profile ceremony, they will have enough personnel to ensure Ms Jayalalithaa's security.
The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has been accused of accumulating wealth disproportionate to her known sources of income when she was the Chief Minister from 1991 to 1996. The case dates back to 1996 when the DMK government, then in power, suo motu filed a disproportionate assets case against Ms Jayalalithaa. It was based on the complaints by the DMK's K Anbazhagan and Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy. The case was moved out of Tamil Nadu to Karnataka to ensure a fair trial.
This comes after the Supreme Court rejected her latest attempt to skip that appearance. The court rejected her concerns about inadequate security on Wednesday
Ms Jayalalithaa has left for Bangalore in a special aircraft and is expected to land at Bangalore's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) airport at around 9.40 am. She will record her statement before the Bangalore trial court, located inside the Bangalore Central Jail, which currently houses former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa.
Shasikala, a close friend of Ms Jayalalithaa and who is also named in the disproportionate assets case, is going to Bangalore too. She is, however, not part of the court proceedings today.
The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu had been told last month by the Supreme Court to attend a hearing at the special court. Her lawyers have been asking for an exemption for security reasons. The Supreme Court first refused that request a few weeks ago, stating it was a "tactic by the accused to delay proceedings." The court then asked the Karnataka government to ensure that special protection was organized for Ms Jayalalithaa's hearing.
Ms Jayalalithaa, however, petitioned the Supreme Court again. In addition to challenging the security plans drawn up for her visit to Bangalore, her lawyer said that the venue for the hearing, located 65 kilometres from the airport, is too far. Unimpressed, the judges replied, "You are a public figure. How can you remain away from the public?" The bench also turned down Ms Jayalalithaa's plea to at least shift the venue of her trial closer to the airport.
The court accepted the Karnataka government's undertaking that it has made huge arrangements to ensure a safe visit for the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. "As far as law and order is concerned, we are very serious. From our side we are fully prepared to give security," Sadananda Gowda, the Chief Minister of Karnataka said. So Ms Jayalalithaa will get Z plus security in Bangalore. Apart from National Security Guard commandos escorting her for the hearing, there will be 1,500 police personnel from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka on security duty. The first circle of security around the Chief Minister will be made up of 500 policemen from her state.
Senior police officials in Bangalore say that though the city's metro will be inaugurated this morning in a high-profile ceremony, they will have enough personnel to ensure Ms Jayalalithaa's security.
The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has been accused of accumulating wealth disproportionate to her known sources of income when she was the Chief Minister from 1991 to 1996. The case dates back to 1996 when the DMK government, then in power, suo motu filed a disproportionate assets case against Ms Jayalalithaa. It was based on the complaints by the DMK's K Anbazhagan and Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy. The case was moved out of Tamil Nadu to Karnataka to ensure a fair trial.
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