BackIncome tax cases against Jayalalithaa adjourned to 28 April
Jayalalithaa and Sasikala had urged for postponing the case, citing petitions they have moved in apex and high courts
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Chennai: A local court here on Thursday adjourned income tax cases against Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa and her aide Sasikala to 28 April after allowing pleas praying for postponing of the case, citing fresh petitions they have moved in the Supreme and high courts.
Additional chief metropolitan magistrate R. Dakshinamurthy, in a brief order, granted two weeks time for further proceedings after hearing arguments of the prosecution and defence counsels.
Jayalalithaa, who was to appear before the court on Thursday for questioning and answering the charges, however, did not attend the proceedings. When the case came up for hearing on Thursday, petitions were filed by the defence stating that a revision petition has been filed before the high court against an order of the ACMM court, which had directed for personal appearance of Jayalalithaa.
Also, an application has been filed before the Supreme Court, seeking extension of time for completing the trial in the case. Hence, it was prayed that the case be adjourned for three weeks. An undertaking was given by Sasikala’s counsel that she would appear before the court on 28 April. The defence plea was opposed by the special public prosecutor for the income tax (I-T) department. The department had launched criminal proceedings against Jayalalithaa and Sasikala for allegedly not filing returns in their individual capacity for the assessment year 1993-94.
Complaints were also filed by the I-T department for allegedly failing to file returns for the assessment years 1991-92 and 1992-93 by Sasi Enterprises and its partners, Jayalalithaa and Sasikala.
Discharge petitions filed by the accused were later dismissed by the Madras high court. Jayalalithaa and Sasikala preferred appeals before the Supreme Court. Dismissing their appeals on January 30, the apex court had directed the lower court to complete the trial in four months. When the case came up for hearing on 3 April, the court had dismissed Jayalalithaa’s petition praying for exemption from personal appearance and directed her to be present before it on 10 April.
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