Disproportionate Assets case; HC asks SPP to reassess 3 properties of Jayalalithaa

BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court today directed Special Public Prosecutor Bhavani Singh to reassess the value of three buildings in Tamil Nadu as it accepted defense counsel's submissions that DMK-government led probe had deliberately over-valued these properties of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in the disproportionate assets case.

During the proceedings, Sasikala Natarajan's counsel C Manishankhar countered the submissions made by the SPP saying that the immovable properties of the accused situated in Kodaikanal, Sirudavur and Payyanur, were deliberately over-valued by Tamil Nadu government engineers.

Overruling Singh's submissions, Justice C R Kumaraswamy, said "I want you (Singh) to reassess the value of immovable properties of the accused, situated in Payyanur, Kodaikanal and Sirudavur, in Tamil Nadu, and present details of it before the court."

Jayalalithaa and three others were convicted under Section 13(1)(e) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 which defines the offence of criminal misconduct by a public servant.

The special bench has been set up at the direction of the Supreme Court on December 18 to decide Jayalalithaa's appeal against the special court's verdict in three months.

The special court had held Jayalalithaa and three others guilty of corruption and awarded four years jail term and slapped a fine of Rs 100 crore on the AIADMK chief. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 10 crore each on the three other convicts.

Besides Jayalalithaa, her close aide Sasikala and her relatives Sudhakaran, erstwhile foster son of AIADMK leader, and Elavarasi, were also convicted.