COMMENTARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Thambi Durai blasts Jethmalani

Former Union minister and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazagham leader M Thambi Durai has accused Union Urban Affairs and Rural Employment Minister Ram Jethmalani of trying to 'eliminate political rivals through false cases'.

Reacting to the comments made by Jethmalani on Monday against AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalitha, with regard to the transfer of her court cases, Thambi Durai and AIADMK MP R Margabandhu said the remarks were 'motivated and malicious'.

Jethmalani had alleged that the Cabinet was not aware of the notification issued to transfer Jayalalitha's cases from a special court to the sessions court.

Thambi Durai said the notification had been issued by the personnel ministry and not by the law ministry. The chief justice of the Madras high court had been consulted in this regard, he said. All decisions on the matter were taken by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in consultation with the attorney general of India. ''As Union law minister I had no role in these matters,'' he said.

He said the notification only set right the 'illegality' committed by the state government in transferring pending cases from the file of one special judge to that of another.

Margabandhu said Jethmalani had cast aspersions on Vajpayee who had approved the notification.

UNI

Tell us what you think of this report