AIADMK general secretary Jayalalitha yesterday received a bulky 2000-page chargesheet from a special judge, arraigning her for allegedly abusing her office to confer beneficial exemption from building rules to Pleasant Stay hotel, Kodaikanal, when she held office as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister in 1994.
Jayalalitha was also present in another court where she received an additional set of documents relating to the most serious charge against her amassing of assets worth Rs 66.65 crore by misusing her office.
The special judge, S Sambandam, trying the wealth case, recorded her appearance along with her disowned foster son V N Sudhakaran and J Ilavarasi, both co-accused. Her close associate, Sasikala Natarajan, was produced in a stretcher on instructions by the judge.
Sambandam directed counsel for Sasikala to produce her before the government general hospital dean on July 21 for examination as the court wanted to know whether she was in a position to understand the court proceedings.
Earlier accompanied by party leaders and followers, Jayalalitha went to the court of another special judge, V Radhakrishnan, who was ready with five sets of the chargesheet filed by the directorate of vigilance and anti-corruption for the accused in the Pleasant Stay case. Jayalalitha was to have received the copies in the last hearing on June 25, but could not do so, as the fourth accused, Rakesh Mittal, the hotels executive director, was not present on that day.
However, he was present yesterday along with other accused former local administration minister, T M Selvaganapathy, former municipal administration secretary, H M Pandey, and the hotels managing director, Palai N Shanmugam, all of whom received copies.
P H Pandian, senior counsel for Jayalalitha, sought a months time for going through the chargesheet and documents, but the judge posted the next hearing on August 4.
The scene then shifted to Sambandams court, where the judge wanted Jayalalitha and others to take copies of further documents (they have already been served with documents running to over 20,000 pages).
G M Vridhachala Reddiar, counsel for Jayalalitha, said the trial need not proceed if the probe was not complete yet.
The special public prosecutor, A V Somasundaram, said the DVAC would file a memo on Monday next seeking permission for further probe. If more documents were to be filed, the accused would be given notice, and her lawyers could take them on their behalf.
