J Jayalalithaa's DA case: John Michael Cunha, the judge who made history

BANGALORE: John Michael Cunha, the lowprofile special court judge in Bangalore who conducted the trial in the disproportionate assets case against Tamil Nadu chief minister (CM)J Jayalalithaa, was known only to those who were related to the case in some way or the other.

But on Saturday, this Judge from Karnataka created history of sorts by convicting a CM and handing down a judgment of far reaching implications that threatens to derail her political career. He had been hearing the case on a daily basis as directed by the Supreme Court.

Cunha, who earlier worked as principal district and sessions judge, Dharwad and Bangalore Rural, and also as registrar (vigilance) at the Karnataka High Court, had been associated with the case only since November 2013, when he took it over from judge MS Balakrishna.

Cunha did not meet people related to the case inside his chambers, preferring instead, to discuss everything in open court. In March this year, he imposed a fine of Rs 60,000 (a day’s fee for appearance) on special public prosecutor G Bhavani Singh for what he called “repeatedly seeking adjournments since January 27, 2014, without justifiable cause.”

In May, he castigated the CM, calling her conduct “highly reprehensible” due to what he described as “suppression of material facts and deliberate suggestion of falsehood.”