TANSI cases: HC to hear Jayalalithaa appeals today

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, AUG. 2. The much-anticipated and politically-sensitive criminal appeals by the Chief Minister, Ms. Jayalalithaa, and others against their conviction in the TANSI land deal cases have been posted for hearing in the High Court on Friday. The cases will come before Mr. Justice S. Jagadeesan.

Meanwhile, Mr. Venkatapathy, who has been appointed by the First Bench to ``conduct the appeals'', has accepted the responsibility, but has sought Central security force protection because ``one of the appellants in the case happens to be the Chief Minister''.

In a memorandum submitted to the Chief Justice, Mr. N. K. Jain, who had appointed him Special Public Prosecutor to handle the appeals, Mr. Venkatapathy also sought the assistance of the prosecutor who had conducted the case before the trial court. He also wanted the court to direct the police officials who had investigated case to assist him during the appeal proceedings.

Mr. Venkatapathy, who was AG during the DMK regime in 1996-2001, was appointed SPP for the appeals on July 24 after some public interest petitions were filed, stating that if prosecutors appointed by Ms. Jayalalithaa were allowed to represent the State, it would end in the ``negation of justice and hamper the rule of law''.

Besides Ms. Jayalalithaa and her close friend, Ms. N. Sasikala, two IAS officers - Mr. T. R. Srinivasan and Mr. R. Karpoorasundarapandian -, the former Rural Industries Minister, Mr. Mohammad Asif, and a revenue official, Mr. S. Nagarajan, were awarded three-year RI in the `Jaya Publications case' by Mr. P. Anbazhagan, Special Judge-III, on October 9, 2000.

In the `Sasi Enterprises case', all of them, except Mr. Asif, who was acquitted, were sentenced to two-year RI.

The case pertains to purchase of land and buildings of the State- owned TANSI by Ms. Jayalalithaa and Ms. Sasikala, allegedly after under-valuing the market rate. The transaction took place in 1992.

In 1995, the Janata Party president, Dr. Subramanian Swamy, obtained sanction from the then Governor, M. Channa Reddy, to prosecute Ms. Jayalalithaa.

Incidentally, Dr. Swamy's petition seeking to implead himself in the `TANSI land deal appeals' is also slated to be taken up for maintainability, along with Ms. Jayalalithaa's appeal petitions tomorrow. He has filed the present petition on the strength of his being the first-complainant.

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