Jayalalithaa in Bangalore court, will answer 190 questions today

Mangalore Today News Network

Bangalore Nov 23, 2011 :  Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has another 190 questions to answer in a Bangalore court today in connection with a disproportionate assets case. Yesterday, she answered 600 questions. Today is her fourth appearance in the court.

When Ms Jayalalithaa arrived in Bangalore yesterday to resume her deposition, it was a deja vu moment for the city. A 25-car convoy led her to the court from the old airport, a fleet of policemen were pressed into service from dawn to dusk on the road that leads to this special court and a tight security blanket was thrown around the route.

The trial court had framed 1,339 questions for Ms Jayalalithaa. Her first date with this court was on October 20. She flew back to Chennai and returned to Bangalore the next day as the proceedings spilled over into the second day.

Then too, several hundreds of policemen were brought in for duty. Also, CCTVs were put up on this sanitized route. 

Like on all her previous appearances, elaborate security arrangements are in place today too. The Chief Minister has a security detail of cops drawn from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka Police in addition to the National Security Guards (NSG).

Yesterday, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister was accompanied by her close friend Sasikala Natarajan and her adopted son V Sudhakaran, the other accused in the 15-year-old case.

Ms Jayalalithaa had repeatedly appealed in the Supreme Court seeking exemption from personal appearance; she said that she did not want to inconvenience the people of Bangalore and so wanted permission to answer questions in writing. On November 4, the top court turned down her appeal but said she should be given a date of her choice.

Ms Jayalalithaa is accused No 1 in the Rs. 66-crore disproportionate assets case. The case goes back to 1991-1996, when Ms Jayalalithaa as Chief Minister is alleged to have amassed wealth disproportionate to her known sources of income.

In 2003, the case was transferred to a Bangalore court for a free and fair trial after a petition in the Supreme Court by DMK leader K Anbazhagan.

Courtesy : NDTV