Expedite Jayalalitha case, CBI tells Channel Island court

LONDON, APRIL 30. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has urged a court in Channel Island, Jersey, near here, to reveal expeditiously the identity of the person who paid a ``gift'' of $ 300,000 to the AIADMK leader and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Ms. Jayalalitha, in 1991.

``It is a legal process. We have requested the court to expedite the case,'' said Mr. D. Mukherjee, CBI joint director investigating the case.

Mr. Mukherjee, who left for Delhi today, said the special court in Chennai had sent letters rogatory to the court in Channel Island some time ago.

Mr. Mukherjee, who had been here for the last few days, said he also had ``interaction'' with officials in the Indian High Commission here. He, however, did not elaborate.

The CBI registered the case in 1996, after the Tamil Nadu Government had referred it to the agency. The case was based on doubts over the AIADMK leader's claim that an ``unknown admirer'' had sent a draft for the said amount from abroad.

Ms. Jayalalitha then explained that as she could not trace the sender, she, on the advice of auditors, declared the amount under the immunity scheme which had been in force for six months in 1991.

Almost at the same time, Ms. Jayalalitha's close friend, Ms. Sasikala Natarajan, also got a draft for an identical amount and this too was declared under the immunity scheme. However, a case was registered against Ms. Jayalalitha alone as she was a ``public servant''.

The 1991 scheme, enacted by Parliament, made it clear that the immunity from prosecution would abate if the declared amount was received in violation of special enactments such as the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Act.

- PTI

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Section  : International
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