DA case: Jayalalithaa moves SC against removal of prosecutor

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Thursday moved the Supreme Court challenging the Karnataka government's decision to remove the special public prosecutor in a disproportionate assets case against her.

A bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam agreed to hear the plea of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief against the decision to remove Bhavani Singh as the special public prosecutor in the case.

Senior advocate U U Lalit, appearing for Jayalalithaa, mentioned the matter before the bench, which also comprised justices Ranjana Prakash Desai and Ranjan Gogoi, saying the decision to remove the prosecutor needed to be reversed.

The Karnataka government had on August 26 issued a notification withdrawing the appointment of Singh as SPP.

"The appointment of senior advocate Bhavani Singh as SPP to conduct the disproportionate case against Jayalalithaa and others in the special court is hereby withdrawn with immediate effect," the government notification said.

The AIADMK chief is accused of amassing Rs 66.65 crore between 1991 and 1996 when she was the chief minister of Tamil Nadu.

The case was transferred by the apex court from Chennai to Bangalore in 2003, during her earlier tenure as the Tamil Nadu chief minister, for a free and fair trial.

She had alleged that the case was filed against her by the previous Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government for political reasons.

She had earlier recorded her statement under Section 313 of the Criminal Procedure Code before the trial court.