Meanwhile, Rajasekaran has approached a city court and recorded a statement under section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code, with only the magistrate and his stenographer present. This is the kind of statement the bureaucratic initiators of the corruption cases against Jayalalitha had recorded.

Obviously, say criminal lawyers, the police and the government do not want any of these initiators bowing to pressure later and retracting their statements. With their education and public standing, it will now be difficult for Rajasekaran in the assault case and the bureaucratic initiators of the corruption cases to go back on their recorded statements.

The police are thus expected to proceed with the assault case under the supervision of the judiciary. The latter is now expected to forward Rajasekaran's statement to the police for follow-up action. And the police are expected to give primacy to the court direction than to the complaint filed by Rajasekaran.

Indications are that the police may proceed with the case against Sasikala's nephew Mahadevan who has been accused of beating Rajasekaran up with a stick and threatening him with a pistol. The Arms Act case, in which Jayalalitha and Sasikala do not figure, may be taken up first.

The city police have since formed special groups to handle various aspects of the case, and Mahadevan is likely to be summoned, or detained, prior to the possible interrogation of Jayalalitha and Sasikala.

According to informed sources, Rajasekaran held power-of-attorney for Jayalalitha when she was chief minister and some of the irregularities allegedly committed by her, including the controversial acquisition of government property, were routed through him. He is thus a prospective witness in some of the corruption cases pending against the AIADMK general secretary. This has made the state government apprehensive that the attack on him could have a cumulative effect on other, less influential witnesses in those cases.