Emergent notices issued to Law Secretary, others in Jaya case

BANGALORE

The Karnataka High Court today ordered issue of emergent notices to the state government and others on petitions by Sasikala Natarajan and two others challenging appointment of the special judge here to try the wealth case against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in which they are co-accused.

Justice Mohan Shantanagoudar ordered notices to the Law Secretary, Registrar General of the High Court, Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-corruption (DVAC) and Presiding officer of the special court B M Mallikarjunaiah, the first respondent, when the petitions seeking a writ of quo warranto against the judge came up before him.

Petitioners Sasikala, V Sudhakaran and Illavarasi pleaded with the court to declare as "null and void" the appointment of Mallikarjunaiah as special judge.

The court then adjourned the matter to August 16.

While Sasikala was represented by Supreme Court advocate Shekhar Nadhade, V Sudhakaran was represented by senior counsel Jayakumar S Patil and Ilavarasi by senior counsel Uday Holla and A Asokan.

The petitioners had prayed that the court issue a writ of quo warranto against Mallikarjunaiah requiring him to show the appointment or notification by the government of Karnataka as a special judge presiding of the 36th Additional City Civil and Sessions Court Bangalore and consequently forbear him from functioning as a special judge and dealing with the case filed under the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act.

On July 17, the special court had rejected the petitions filed by Jayalalithaa and the other three accused challenging the appointment of special judge to try the case under which she had been charged with amassing Rs 66.5 crore wealth disproportionate to her known sources of income between 1991 and 1995 when she was chief minister for the first time.

The case was transferred to Bangalore from Chennai by the Supreme Court on a petition by DMK General Secretary K Anbazhagan.