New Delhi, March 26 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Thursday hauled up Karnataka for not taking any position on the appointment of a prosecutor to appear before the high court in the hearing of the appeal by former Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa, who has challenged her conviction and sentencing in a disproportionate assets case.
Taking exception to the Karnataka government invoking the shield of "neutrality" over the appointment, the bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice R. Banumathi wondered what if the "matter goes ex-parte before the high court".
As Karnataka government counsel pleaded that "when we are not a party before the trial court, we are not a party before the high court", the apex court said: "In sum and substance, your advocate general says nothing before the high court, you are also taking the same position."
The court's drubbing of the position taken by Karnataka came during the hearing of a petition of DMK leader K. Anbazhagan, who contested the appointment of G. Bhavani Singh as prosecutor by the Tamil Nadu government. Anbazhagan said Tamil Nadu government has no jurisdiction to do so.
He said the authority to appoint a prosecutor was vested in the Karnataka government after the trial was transferred from Tamil Nadu.
The court was told that Karnataka's advocate general did object to the appointment of Bhavani Singh by Tamil Nadu, but the high court disposed of the plea at the preliminary stage.
Karnataka said the appointment of Bhavani Sinbgh as special public prosecutor came to an end with the conclusion of Jayalalithaa's trial in the assets case.
The apex court asked that apart from the advocate general telling the high court that Bhavani Singh could not appear as prosecutor, "did you take steps to prevent him from appearing before the high court? (It) is one thing to say in words, (but) quite another (to do) in deeds".
Describing as "absolutely bizarre" Tamil Nadu appointing Bhavani Singh as prosecutor before the Karnataka High Court, counsel T.R. Andhyarujina, appearing for petitioner Anbazhagan, told the court that once the case is transferred to another state, it comes under the jurisdiction of the transferee state to appoint a prosecutor.
Contesting the appointment of Bhavani Singh on the question of law and facts, Andhyarujina said his conduct was adversely commented upon by the trial court judge.
Opposing the plea by Andhyarujina, counsel Fali Nariman told the court that Tamil Nadu appointed Bhavani Singh as prosecutor only after Karnataka did not appoint one.
Nariman will continue with his arguments on April 1 when the matter comes up for further hearing.
The high court on March 11 reserved its verdict on Jayalalithaa and others on an appeal challenging the Bengaluru court's September 27, 2014, order convicting Jayalalithaa of possessing assets disproportionate to her known sources of income and sentencing her to four jail terms and Rs.100 crore fine.
The case against Jayalalithaa and three others relates to the period from 1991 to 1996 involving Rs.66.65 crore when she became chief minister of Tamil Nadu for the first time.
National Testing Agency: CUET-UG exam postponed for Delhi Centre, NTA's decision due to unavoidable reasons
National Testing Agency (NTA) has issued a major update regarding the Common University Entrance Test (CUET-UG) examination. NTA has postponed the CUET-UG exam scheduled to be held
First India-Central Asia meeting of the Security Council, NSA Doval said – Afghanistan is an important issue for all of us
India is hosting a conference of security officials for the first time today. Top officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan attended the conference. The meeting is chaired by
44th day of the attack on Ukraine: Ukraine claims Sumi freed from Russian troops; Russia for the first time admitted that its army suffered heavy losses in the war
43 days have passed since the Russo-Ukraine war. Meanwhile, Ukrainian media has claimed that the Sumy region of Ukraine has been completely freed from the occupation of Russian troops. The governor of
Weather Update Today: Cold in the morning and evening increased in Delhi, and snowfall in the mountains; Know how the weather will be in your state today
These days a light pink cold is being felt in the morning in New Delhi. At the same time, the sun is still shining brightly during the day. On the other hand, pollution is also being seen in Delhi.
The Great Indian Kapil Show: Kapil Sharma made fun of Atlee on the show, netizens got angry at the comedian
Humor and jokes are good only till someone is not hurt. Insulting someone is not a joke. What Kapil Sharma has done with director Atlee in his show recently is shameful. Comedian and actor Kapil
CM Yogi-Priyanka letter war: Now Priyanka Gandhi Vadra gave this reply to the letter of the UP government
Lucknow. The process of providing letters of letters between Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and the Government of Uttar Pradesh is still going on. Priyanka's personal secretary
PM Modi: 'The idea of property distribution is an urban Naxalite thinking', PM Modi targets Rahul Gandhi
Before the third phase of Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is fiercely attacking Congress. He has cornered the Congress over opposition leader Sam Pitroda's statement on
The claims of unity in the Jammu and Kashmir Congress remained intact, neither Azad nor his supporters reached the contemplation camp in Patnitap.
Despite all the claims, neither Ghulam Nabi Azad nor his supporters reached the Nav Sankalp Chintan Shivir of the Jammu and Kashmir unit of Congress. Efforts for unity were foiled. Azad's supporters
Taliban praised the Indian Army, threatened Pakistan by sharing a photo of the 1971 war, and said- don't make a mistake
Taliban leader Ahmed Yasir has threatened Pakistan. Along with the threat, Ahmed Yasir has also shared a picture of the 1971 India-Pakistan war. By sharing the picture, Ahmed praised the Indian Army,
The situation is deteriorating again from Corona: after 33 days, more than 10 thousand cases were found in the country; Maharashtra-Delhi-Gujarat increasing concern
Corona cases are increasing once again after Omicron's knock in the country. Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Luv Aggarwal said on Thursday that after 33 days, more than 10 thousand cases
