SC notice to CAG, EC, Centre, Jayalalitha on freebies row

NEW DELHI: The Jayalalithaa government's decision to distribute freebies like laptops, grinders, fans, and livestock to various classes of people in Tamil Nadu today came under the scanner of the Supreme Court which issued notices to the Comptroller & Auditor General, Centre, Election Commission besides the State.

A bench of justices P Sathasivam and B S Chauhan asked the three respondents to file their replies within two weeks and posted the matter for further hearing to September 16.

The apex court however, declined to stay the state government's move to start distribution of the freebies reportedly stated from September 15 to mark the birth anniversary celebrations of C N Annadurai.

The bench passed the directions on a petition filed by a Tamil Nadu Bar advocate S Subramaniam Balaji seeking transfer of the writ petition filed on the issue by him in the Madras High Court since another petition relating to the distribution of free colour television sets by the previous DMK government was pending in the apex court.