Why Jayalalithaa wants to skip Bangalore appearance

Having answered as many as 567 questions raised by a Bangalore special court in connection with the charges of amassing questionable wealth to the tune of Rs66 crore between 1991 and 1996, Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa has sought the Supreme Court’s intervention in the trial court’s directive for her appearance before it on November 8.

The AIADMK supremo had appeared before the Bangalore court on October 20 and 21 amidst unprecedented security arrangements and flew back to Chennai fro the nearby helipad.

Since the proceedings are inconclusive, the court had asked her to appear again on November 8 to answer more queries that have become relevant for arriving at a conclusion regarding her culpability in the graft case. She has told the apex court the trial court couldn’t summon her again as that would be against the spirit of the top court’s order.

Jayalalithaa’s counsel Mukul Rohtagi said she was supposed to personally appear before the trial court only once and she cannot be forced to appear before it again.

In response to the Bangalore court’s query, Jayalalithaa had said the jewellery, silverware and footwear seized from her premises have been overvalued.

She also sought revaluation of these items.