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Judge stays order attaching Jaya's property

A vacation judge of the Madras high court last night stayed the operations of the special judge's order, passed earlier in the day, attaching the moveable property of former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalitha, worth Rs 115.9 million, in the disproportionate wealth case against her.

Jayalalitha's counsel, A Jenasenan, told UNI that Justice Padmanabhan passed the order after hearing her petition at his Mandaveli home in the city, late last night.

Justice Padmanabhan also directed the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption not to seize Jayalalitha's vehicles and posted the case before the high court, to June 12.

While B Kumar appeared for Jayalalitha, public prosecutor S Shanmugasundaram appeared for the state government.

Meanwhile, the All India Anna DMK general secretary today charged Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi with continuing his efforts to defame her in the eyes of the people.

In a statement in Madras, she alleged that the attachment of her property yesterday by the special judge trying corruption cases on a petition filed by the DVAC, on which she obtained a stay from the high court subsequently, was another example of Karunanidhi's vengeful attitude.

All her bank accounts till 1996 had already been frozen, she added.

Jayalalitha demanded an account of the properties, vehicles and buildings owned by Karunanidhi and his relatives before he became chief minister in 1996.

There was no guarantee that the properties owned by all former chief ministers and present chief ministers had been acquired before they held the office, she said.

Senior AIADMK leader and former minister V R Nedunchezhiyan condemned the DVAC for its petition seeking attachment of Jayalalitha's moveable property.

In a statement in Madras, he said the DVAC's move smacked of political vindictiveness.

UNI

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