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Jayalalithaa ​acquitted in disproportionate assets case by Karnataka HC, AIADMK workers celebrate

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jayalalithaa

Chennai/Bengaluru: As a special bench of the Karnataka High Court is to deliver crucial verdict on former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s appeal against her conviction in a disproportionate assets case, security has been stepped up in Bengaluru on Monday and Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) clamped.

The special high court bench headed by Justice CR Kumaraswamy will pronounce the judgment at 11 am as directed by the Supreme Court, which extended Jayalalithaa’s bail up to May 12.

Here are the LIVE updates —

  • Celebrations inside Courtroom 14 after charges against Jayalalithaa,  N Sasikalaa, J Elavarasi and V N Sudhagaran set aside
  • J Jayalalithaa, all accused acquitted in disproportionate assets case.
  • At most the judge will exercise a discussion whether the punishment should be increased or reduced: Subramanian Swamy (BJP)
  • I expect that conviction will be upheld: Subramanian Swamy (BJP)
  • BV Acharya (Public prosecutor) reaches Karnataka HC: ANI
  • Jayalalithaa’s lawyers have entered Court No 14, verdict expected shortly
  • Supporters gather outside Jayalalithaa’s residence in Chennai as the moment of reckoning draws near.
  • It is not compulsory for Jayalalithaa to be present at the Bengaluru High Court premises, say reports.
  • In my view Honorable Justice Cunhas’s judgement is likely to be upheld: Jayalalithaa’s lawyer Krishnamoorthy
  • Everything should be considered by Justice Kumaraswamy lordship, then the judgment has to be decided: Jayalalithaa’s lawyer Krishnamoorthy
  • AIADMK workers are holding prayers hoping for relief for Jayalalithaa.
  • Ten platoons of the Karnataka State Reserve Police, 500 policemen and 25 senior police officers will be present in and around the high court to ensure peace and prevent any untoward incident. Entry into the high court will also be restricted to avoid crowding: Additional Commissioner of Police Alok Kumar
  • We have deployed additional forces in the city and imposed ban order within 1km radius of the Karnataka High Court from 6am to 9pm on Monday to maintain law and order: Additional Commissioner of Police Alok Kumar
  • Security has been stepped up in Bengaluru ahead of verdict in a disproportionate assets case.

A trial court, headed by special judge John Michael D’Cunha, had on September 27, 2014 convicted and sentenced Jayalalithaa and her three accomplices to a four-year jail term in the Rs 66.65-crore illegal assets case that dragged on for 18 years.

The three co-convicts are Sasikala Natarajan, her nephew VN Sudhakaran and her aunt J Ellavarsi. Sudhakaran is also the disowned foster son of Jayalalithaa.

The apex court on October 17, 2014 had granted interim bail till December 18 to the 67-year-old Jayalalithaa and her three co-convicts. Their bail was subsequently extended till May 12.

The general secretary of Tamil Nadu’s ruling AIADMK had also spent three weeks in the central jail on the city’s outskirts after the high court rejected her bail petition.

(With Agency Inputs)

Karnataka HC to pronounce verdict on appeal filed by Jayalalithaa on Monday

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Jayalalithaa

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court will pronounce on May 11 its verdict on the appeals filed by former Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa and three others challenging their conviction by the trial court in the disproportionate assets case.

“The Special Vacation Single Bench of Justice CR Kumaraswamy is constituted to sit in Court Hall No. 14 at 11:00 AM on Monday – the 11th May 2015 – for pronouncement of Judgment (in the appeals),” a high court notification said here tonight.

Special Court Judge John Michael D’Cunha had on September 27 last year held the AIADMK supremo and three others guilty of corruption and awarded four years jail term, due to which she attracted disqualification as an MLA.

The Judge had also slapped a fine of Rs 100 crore on her and Rs 10 crore each on three other convicts.

Challenging this, the four had filed appeals in the high court where a special bench was set up on the directions of the Supreme Court while granting her bail on December 18 last. The apex court had directed the high court to decide the appeal within three months.

Justice Kumaraswamy, who heard the appeals, had reserved the order on March 11 after defence counsel filed their replies challenging written submissions made by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, the original complainant in the case.

DMK General Secretary K Anbazhagan, on whose petition the assets case was transferred to Bengaluru from Chennai, had moved the Supreme Court challenging the appointment of G Bhavani Singh as Special Public Prosecutor by Tamil Nadu government for the appeals.

The Supreme Court had on April 27 cleared the decks for pronouncement of the judgement in the case. It held as “bad in law” the appointment of Singh but ruled out fresh hearing in the appeal against her conviction.

After the apex court order, senior advocate BV Acharya was appointed Special Public Prosecutor by Karnataka government and he had on April 29 filed a written submission in the high court praying for dismissal of appeals filed by Jayalalithaa and others.

Apart from Jayalalithaa, her close confidante Sasikala and the latter’s relatives Sudhakaran, erstwhile foster son of the AIADMK leader, and Elavarasi were also convicted.

They were charged with amassing wealth beyond known sources of their income during 1991-96 when Jayalalithaa was Chief Minister for the first time.

(Agencies)

Mekedatu dam row: Siddaramaiah leads all-party delegation to PM

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modi-Siddaramaiah

New Delhi/Bengaluru: Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah led an all-party delegation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the Centre’s “cooperation” for implementing the Mekedatu dam project in his state, which is being opposed by neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

“We sought support from the Government of India to go ahead with the project,” Siddaramaiah told reporters outside Parliament House after meeting Modi.

Terming Tamil Nadu’s opposition to the project as “politically motivated”, he stressed that interests of the neighbouring state would not be affected by this project.

“We are planning to construct a dam across the Cauvery river, which is in our territory. This project will not affect the interest of Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu people’s opposition to the project is politically motivated,” he said.

Siddaramaiah said that Karnataka was releasing 192 TMC of water to Tamil Nadu as per the award of the tribunal and asserted that construction of hydro electric project was “within the rights of Karnataka”.

Asked about Modi’s response, Siddaramaiah said, “Prime Minister has not given any assurance. He said that he would examine it.”

The Karnataka chief minister also urged Modi to convene a meeting of chief ministers to discuss about making respective regional languages as medium of instruction in primary schools.

Union Ministers Ananth Kumar and Sadananda Gowda, MPs including senior BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa and Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge were also present during the meeting.

The Karnataka all-party delegation’s meeting with Modi comes in the wake of Tamil Nadu chief minister O Pannerselvam and opposition parties from the state calling on the Prime Minister separately over the issue recently.

Siddaramaiah in his budget speech, presented on March 13, has proposed preparing a detailed project report for construction of balancing reservoir on the upstream of Mekedatu across the Cauvery river.

(Agencies)

AIADMK, DMK MPs unite to oppose Karnataka members on Cauvery issue

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CAUVERY

New Delhi/Bengaluru: An unusual bonhomie was witnessed in Rajya Sabha today when members of rival Tamil Nadu parties AIADMK and DMK got together to oppose MPs from Karnataka while seeking government’s intervention in stopping construction of dams in the Cauvery river basin.

Raising the issue of construction of a reservoir by Karnataka in the Cauvery river basin during Zero Hour, S Muthukuruppam (AIADMK) urged the central government and the Ministry of Environment and Forests not to grant clearance to any such project.

The AIADMK member also demanded that Karnataka government should be told to maintain status quo on the issue and not go against the directions of the Supreme Court and the Cauvery Disputes Redressal Commission.

This prompted members from Karnataka including B K Hari Prasad (Congress) to rise and raise strong objections to the AIADMK member’s plea, leading to a verbal clash.

The AIADMK member was joined by his party members as well as those of the rival DMK in putting up a strong protest against the objections raised by Karnataka members who were far outnumbered in the verbal spat.

The uproar led the Deputy Chairman P J Kurien to intervene and ask the protesting members from Karnataka to give notice to put across their point of view.

Muthukuruppam then insisted that he be given some more time to complete his mention, but the Chair refused to allow him saying his three minutes were over and he was not allowed to read out in the House as per the rules.

(Agencies)

Tamil Nadu shuts the doors for Coca-Cola

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coca-cola-plant

Erode/Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government has cancelled the plots allotted to Coca-Cola’s beverages manufacturing facility in State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu Limited (SIPCOT) Industrial Growth Centre in Perundurai.

On April 20, the SIPCOT Managing Director R. Selvaraj issued the cancellation order of 71.34 acres of land allotted to it for non-compliance of terms and conditions of allotment order / lease deed.

In his communication to Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB) Private Limited, Mr. Selvaraj merely informed that the plots allotted to the company have been cancelled.

The SIPCOT allotted 71.34 acres at the Industrial Growth Centre in Perundurai on June 21, 2013. It was further amended twice. A lease deed was executed and registered by HCCB on January 23, 2014. However, the allotment and subsequent soil testing triggered a spate of protests from residents of Perundurai and Chennimalai towns and farmers in the area.

A Trust to save the towns from the proposed Coca-Cola plant was also formed fearing groundwater depletion and discharge into the water courses. After it became a hotly debated political issue, including the Assembly in the Budget session in March, the government has cancelled the allotment of land.

HCCB, which was planning to invest Rs 500 crore in the greenfield manufacturing unit, is yet to react to the development.

(Agencies)

Mekadatu project: Karnataka bandh from dawn-to-dusk

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Karnataka-bandh

Bengaluru: Karnataka bandh called by pro-Kannada organizations on Saturday to protest Tamil Nadu’s opposition to the Mekedatu drinking water project is expected to be total. Public transport, including KSRTC and BMTC buses, autorickshaws and cabs will be off the roads.

The bandh will be in force from 6am to 6pm.

Educational institutions and business establishments, including petrol bunks, restaurants and cinemas, in Bengaluru and neighbouring districts are likely to remain closed.

Nearly 700 organisations across the State have backed the call. Transportation is likely to be affected severely. While auto-rickshaws will stay off the roads in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Tumakuru, Mandya, Hassan, Kolar, Chikkaballapur and Ramanagara districts among others, the KSRTC and BMTC have decided to maintain skeletal service. However, essential services such as ambulances, pharmacies, supply of milk and vegetables will not be affected.

A senior minister told reporters here on Friday that chief minister Siddaramaiah is keen that the bandh is a success as he wants to send a message that nothing will come in the way of the Mekedatu project, aimed at providing drinking water to Bengaluru and neighbouring districts.

This year’s state budget has set aside Rs 25 crore for the balancing reservoir to be constructed on the upstream of Mekadatu across Cauvery river in Kanakapura taluk of Ramanagaram district.

(Agencies)

SC extends Jayalalithaa's bail

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jayalalithaa

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday extended the bail of former Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa and others till the Karnataka High Court disposed of their appeal against her conviction and sentencing in a disproportionate assets case by the special court.

The apex court bench headed by Chief Justice H.L. Dattu also extended till May 12 the time for the high court to pronounce its verdict on Jayalalithaa’s appeal, which was coming to an end on Friday.

The court extended the time after a senior counsel told the court that after the split verdict on the DMK leader’s plea on the appointment of G. Bhavani Singh as special public prosecutor, it has now to be decided by a three-judge bench of the apex court.

It was hoped that the three-judge bench, which is yet to take up the matter, may complete the hearing and decide the matter before May 12.

(IANS)

Karnataka firm on Mekedatu project, says CM Siddaramaiah

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mekedatu

Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday informed the Legislative Assembly that the State Government was committed to implementing the Mekedatu dam project proposed across the Cauvery river in Ramanagaram district.

He would convene an all-party meeting to discus the project and lead a delegation to Delhi to appraise the Centre of the necessity of the project for Karnataka, Mr. Siddaramaiah said during his reply to the debate on the State Budget.

Mr. Siddaramaiah said Rs. 25 crore had been set aside for preparing a detailed project report. The project was conceived to meet the drinking water needs of people residing in the parched districts around Bengaluru. It would act as a balancing reservoir and harness water flowing into the sea.

“There is no politics in Krishna and Cauvery waters. We are building the Mekedatu dam within our state, they (TN) will not have any problem from it, and we know how to face this legally,” the Chief Minister said.

Tamil Nadu observed a bandh on Saturday opposing the plan for the Mekadatu project this side of the border.

The Opposition parties-backed state-wide farmers’ bandh over the Mekedatu dam row, though the state government has distanced itself from it.

The bandh call is to press the Centre to rein in Karnataka from going ahead with its proposed plan build a dam at Mekedatu and to urge it to set up the Cauvery Management Board and Cauvery Water Regulatory Authority.

Affiliated trade unions of eight state-run transport corporations of these parties, traders’ associations, retailers, vegetable traders and sand lorry operators are among those who had expressed support for the shutdown.

(Agencies)

Crude bombs hurled at Tamil TV channel's office

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puthiya-thalaimurai

Chennai: Unidentified persons today hurled crude bombs at the office of a popular Tamil TV channel here, police said.

No one was injured in the attack. The incident happened in the early hours today when four motorcycle-borne youths hurled two crude bombs packed in tiffin boxes, police said.

No one has been detained in this connection and police were examining various clues.

Journalists in the Puthiya Thalaimurai channel said nobody was injured in the incident and that no major damage to property was reported. They said the incident had been caught on CCTV camera.

The incident comes close on the heels of the channel removing a controversial show about ‘Thaali’ (Mangalsutra) on Sunday when a fringe outfit, Hindu Munnani, opposed it and staged a protest during which some equipment was damaged and a video journalist allegedly attacked.

(PTI)

Karnataka overwhelm Tamil Nadu to retain Ranji title

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ranjii

Mumbai: Karnataka successfully defended their Ranji Trophy title in emphatic style as they trounced Tamil Nadu by an innings and 217 runs in the final at the Wankhede Stadium here on Thursday.

Tottering at 113 for three overnight in their second innings after conceding a 628-run first innings lead, Tamil Nadu were bowled out for 411 runs to add to their first innings score of 134.

Baba Aparajith (68) and Vijay Shankar (103) put up a brave fight. After Aparajith’s departure with the scoreboard reading 191/4, it was veteran wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik who tried steadying the sinking Tamil Nadu ship.

Right-hander Karthik notched up a 115-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Shankar and was fluent in his stroke-making.

But then it was Karnataka skipper Vinay Kumar (2/43) who broke the partnership getting rid of Shankar holding onto a return catch.

Karthik continued in his merry ways, but the batters around him fell prey to Shreyas Gopal’s (4/126) spin and Sreenath Aravind’s (2/52) movement and pace.

Earlier in the match, Karnataka had put on a monumental total of 762 runs in their first innings. Right-hand middle-order batsman Karun Nair scored 328 — the highest in a Ranji Trophy final in the 92-year history of the country’s premier domestic cricket tournament.

Nair, 23, went past Baroda batsman Gul Mohammad’s 319 made against Holkar in the 1946-47 season final. Nair got good support from India Test Opener Lokesh Rahul (188) and the duo forged a 384-run stand for the sixth wicket.

Skipper R. Vinay Kumar also scored a ton (105) to ensure they amassed a monumental total of 762 all out. Vinay became the first captain to pick up a five-wicket haul and score a century in a Ranji final. He was only the second cricketer to achieve the feat after Vijay Hazare’s heroics in 1946-47 final.

After conceding the mammoth lead, Tamil Nadu went down by an innings and 217 runs, allowing Karnataka to lay their hands on their second consecutive and eighth Ranji Trophy title.

“It is a big moment for us. I would like to thank all the players, they have worked hard to achieve this milestone. I am very happy with my own performance,” skipper Vinay said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

“Ultimately, winning the Ranji Trophy is important. As I said last year, we have a good bunch of players. If we keep performing we will dominate the Indian domestic circuit. Next we will play the Irani Trophy and will try to win that.”

Losing captain Abhinav Mukund said: “We really did well in the first day. We could have batted better, but its history now. Rahul and Karun Nair took the game away from us.”

Mukund, however, was satisfied with the performance throughout the season.

“It has been a great season. After a poor start we have made to the finals. We will go back to the drawing board. We have competed well, I made around 800 runs. I could have carried on, but we ran into a good side.”

Brief scores: Tamil Nadu 134 all out, 411 all out (Dinesh Karthik 120, Vijay Shankar 103; Shreyas Gopal 4/126; Vinay Kumar 2/43)) lose to Karnataka 762 all out. Karnataka win by an innings and 217 runs.

(IANS)

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