The Supreme Court today declined to stay the trial in a disproportionate assets case involving Tamil Nadu chief minister Mr J Jayalalithaa’s estranged aide Ms Sasikala Natrajan, both of whom are facing the proceedings in a Bangalore court.
A vacation Bench of Mr Justice HL Gokhale and Ms Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, however, allowed Ms 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 Ms Sasikala to place on record the necessary material in support of her contention.
Ms Jayalalithaa and others are accused of amassing disproportionate wealth during her tenure as chief minister during 1991-96. Ms Sasikala approached the Supreme Court after the trial court and Karnataka High Court refused to give certain documents pertaining to the case to Ms Sasikala.
Senior counsel Mr Sekhar Naphade told the Bench that she had already answered 599 questions by the prosecution and 1,000 more were expected.
He, however, maintained that in order to answer these 1,000-odd questions, the defence needed certain documents which were part of the case, but had not been released to the accused. As an interim measure, Ms Sasikala wanted the trial to be stayed and she be furnished the said documents.
