Colour TV scam -- Jaya, aide seek discharge

Colour TV scam -- Jaya, aide seek discharge
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

CHENNAI, FEBRUARY 23: Former Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalitha and a former AIADMK minister T M Selvaganapathy on Wednesday moved a special court here seeking to discharge them from the Rs 10.16 crore colour TV case on the ground that the Governor's sanction to prosecute them was violative of a Supreme Court ruling.

Special Judge V Radhakrishnan posted the petition for hearing on March 1.

In their petition, the petitioners contended that the apex court, while dealing with the question of sanction in former Mahrashtra chief minister A R Antulay's case, had held that in a prosecution launched by a political rival, the Governor should act in exercise of his own discretion and not with the aid of counsel of ministers.

The petitioners claimed that at the commencement of the case, there was no indication from the papers furnished to the accused that the public prosecutor, the secretaries, the law minister and the chief minister had all approved the sanction before the file reached the Governor.

Jayalalitha and Selvaganapathy further contended that these facts had come to light only during cross-examination of a prosecution witness, and that, therefore, they were filing the petitions at this stage.

The witness had made it clear that the public prosecutor had given in writing that sanction may be accorded to prosecute them.

Three secretaries to the government, including one from the law department, were also on record supporting the grant of sanction, following which the matter was placed before the law minister and the chief minister, the petitioners said.

They said it was clear that the Governor had not reached any conclusion based on an independent evaluation.

Jayalalitha, Selvaganapathy and eight others are accused in the case relating to alleged irregularities in the purchase of 45,000 colour television sets for distribution to village panchayats while Jayalalitha was the chief minister between 1991 and 1996.