Proceedings against Sasikala adjourned to January 18

A special court trying the disproportionate assets case against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Wednesday adjourned to January 18, the proceedings against her former close aide and co-accused Sasikala Natarajan concerning the translation process.

Special Judge B M Mallikarjunaiah adjourned the matter after counsel for Sasikala submitted a copy of the Karnataka High Court order granting six weeks stay on the proceedings.

On December 19, Justice B V Pinto granted six weeks stay on the proceedings on a petition by Sasikala, seeking translated versions of questions framed by the court in Tamil.

Sasikala, who has since been expelled from AIADMK by Jayalalithaa, had moved the high court after the Special Judge on December 14 rejected her plea seeking a direction to the interpreter to keep the translated version of the questions framed by the court ready in Tamil and then record the answers in Tamil which could then be translated into English.

While granting one week time to Sasikala to move the high court, the Judge had adjourned proceedings on recording her statement under section 313 of CrPC (power to examine the accused) to today.

The special court was to question Sasikala after the four-day deposition of Jayalalithaa last month during which she answered 1,339 questions framed by the judge.

The case relates to accumulation of wealth allegedly disproportionate to Jayalalithaa's known sources of income when she was chief minister in 1991-96. It was shifted to Bangalore by the Supreme Court on a petition by DMK General Secretary K Anbazhagan.

Sasikala, a trusted aide of Jayalalithaa and often considered a power centre in the AIADMK, was expelled along with her husband M Natarajan and 12 others from AIADMK's primary membership on December 19, reportedly due to their 'over reach' in administrative and political matters.