SC notice to TN govt and Sasikala on DMK leader's plea

The Supreme Court on Monday sought the replies of the Tamil Nadu government and state Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's estranged aide V K Sasikala to a plea by Dravida Munetra Kazhagam leader, seeking his impleadment in a case against the two for allegedly owning assets exceeding their legal incomes.

A bench of justices P Sathasivam and Ranjan Gogoi issued notices on the petition filed by DMK General Secretary K Anbazhagan, through advocate V G Pragasam.

Anbazhagan had alleged in his petition that the two accused were bent upon derailing the trial proceedings in the disproportionate case against them after Jayalalithaa came to power.

The DMK leader, on whose petition the Supreme Court had transferred the case to Bangalore in November 2003 during the All India Anna Dravida Munetra Kazhagam regime, had filed the application for impleadment claiming that trial was being subverted by the accused and the state was bypassing the special public prosecutor B V Acharya, who was appointed by the Supreme Court.

Senior counsel V Giri, appearing for Sasikala, opposed the impleadment application and said once the state was represented, no other party was necessary.

State counsel B Balaji, however, denied that the state was trying to bypass the SPP. The bench after hearing the counsel posted the matter for further hearing on August 13.

The disproportionate assets case allegedly involves accumulation of assets worth over Rs 66 crore by Jayalalithaa between 1991 and 1996.

A vacation bench of the apex court had earlier, while refusing to stay the trial in the Bangalore court, had issued notice to the State on a SLP filed by Sasikala seeking certain documents from the prosecution to enable her to answer questions under Section 313 CrPC put by the magistrate.