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Jaya takes exception to judge's remark

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary J Jayalalitha Friday charged Special Judge-1 S Sambandam with planting false information against her while declining to stay trial proceedings against her and three others in the disproportionate wealth case.

Jayalalitha has been charged with amassing wealth to the tune of Rs 666.5 million while she was the Tamil Nadu chief minister.

In a statement, she took exception to the judge's remark that she was aware that he had not approached her mentor, the late M G Ramachandran, for any favour when the latter was chief minister.

The judge had observed so while dismissing, on March 9, a petition filed by J Elavarasi, a co-accused and a relative of Jayalalitha's aide Sasikala, another co-accused, seeking a stay on the trial.

Jayalalitha's foster son V N Sudhakaran is another accused in the case.

"The judge has exceeded all normally accepted judicial constrains and unnecessarily dragged in my name," the AIADMK leader said, pointing out that his remark has been published in all leading newspapers.

"This has put me in poor light and his statement has the potential of being prejudicial against me in the pending case," she continued, "At this stage, I feel it is enough to say there is no truth in any of his statements. He has begun a controversy. If he persists with it, I will reveal more. Now, enough is enough. "

UNI

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