SC refuses to stay trial against Jaya's ex-aide Sasikala

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The Supreme Court on Monday declined to stay the trial in a disproportionate assets case involving Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa's estranged aide Sasikala Natrajan, both of whom are facing the proceedings in a Bangalore court.

A vacation bench of justices H.L. Gokhale and Ranjana Prakash Desai, however, allowed Sasikala to place on record relevant materials relating to her claim that she has not been provided with certain documents relating to the questions being put to her in the ongoing day-to-day trial.

"We can't give any interim relief and the trial will continue," the bench observed, but granted two weeks time to Sasikala to place on record the necessary material in support of her contention.

Jaya and others are accused of amassing disproportionate wealth during her tenure as chief minister in 1991-96.

Sasikala approached the Supreme Court after the trial court and Karnataka High Court refused to give certain documents pertaining to the case to Sasikala.

Senior counsel Sekhar Naphade told the bench that she had already answered 599 questions by the prosecution and 1,000 more are expected. He, however, maintained that in order to answer these 1,000-odd questions, the defence needed certain documents which are part of the case, but are not being granted to the accused.

As an interim measure Sasikala wanted the trial to be stayed and she be furnished the said documents. On November 4, the apex court had dismissed Jayalalithaa's plea for exemption from personal appearance before the trial court in Bangalore.

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

The DA case proceedings were shifted out of Tamil Nadu by the apex court during the previous DMK regime on Jaya's plea fearing that she might be denied a fair trial in the state then ruled by arch rival M. Karunanidhi, whom she accused of implicating her in the false case. Jaya had said that the jewellery, silverware and footwear have been 'over valued' by Tamil Nadu's Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption and that she did not own all the sarees confiscated.