Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today left for Bangalore to appear in a Special Court which would pronounce judgement in the 18-year-old Rs 66.65 crore disproportionate assets case against her, which will have huge ramifications on the State polity and her Government.
Amid palpable tension, the 65-year-old AIADMK chief set out from her Poes Garden residence at 8.40 am for the airport along with her close aide Sasikala Natarajan, another accused in the case, besides Ilavarasi and flew to Bangalore in a special aircraft.
The other accused in the case is Jayalalithaa’s disowned foster son V N Sudhakaran.
Special Court Judge John Michael D’Cunha will be delivering the verdict by noon at the makeshift court created at Bangalore central prison at Parappana Agrahara on the outskirts of Bangalore city, which has been provided multi-layered security cover.
The Bangalore city police has promulgated prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Cr.PC as a precautionary measure ahead of the court delivering its verdict.
The case was transferred to Bangalore’s Special Court in 2003 by the Supreme Court on a petition filed by DMK leader K Anbazhagan, who had expressed doubts over conduct of a fair trail in Tamil Nadu as Jayalalithaa ruled the State then.