Jayalalithaa to Reappear in Court on Oct 21

Update

Bangalore, Oct 20 (IANS): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa's deposition in a disproportionate assets case against her will continue here Friday as the recording of her statement Thursday remained inconclusive.

Jayalalithaa's deposition Thursday lasted nearly five hours in the court of Special Judge B.M. Mallikarjunaiah who held a special sitting in the city's central prison complex in view of her security needs.

She stoutly denied the allegations levelled against her in the disproportionate assets case and strongly defended herself.

The case against her, filed over a decade ago, is that she amassed Rs.66 crore between 1991 and 1996 when also she was chief minister of Tamil Nadu.

This was her first appearance in the court here, nearly eight years after the case was shifted to the city from Chennai by the Supreme Court to ensure free and fair trial.

She flew back to Chennai, about 350 km away, soon after the conclusion of Thursday's proceedings. She will return Friday morning to complete the recording of her statement.

Jayalalithaa landed at the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.'s airport in city centre and drove in a convoy of vehicles to the prison complex in eastern suburb of Paprappana Agrahara, about 10km away.

She greeted curious onlookers on the way with her typical 'namaste' and a smile.

Jayalalithaa was directed by the Supreme Court to appear in person in the Bangalore court though she had cited security concerns and her busy schedule as chief minister to seek exemption.

The apex court had rejected her plea to be allowed to give her statement through video conference.

The Parappana Agrahara jail was heavily guarded by around 1,500 Bangalore city police personnel, assisted by several of their Tamil Nadu counterparts.