The Supreme Court on Friday directed a Tamil Nadu court hearing the non-filing of income tax returns case against Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa to consider the framing of charges within two months.

A bench headed by Justice B N Aggarwal told the trial court that it will go into the issue of framing of charges only after hearing a petition filed by Jayalalithaa and others seeking discharge in the case.

The court clarified that the two-month period for the trial court will commence from the date it received the order of the apex court.

The court said that if the trial court found it fit to frame charges then it will fix the date for commencement of trial on a day-to-day basis, unless and until its proceedings are stayed by any court.

A case was registered against Jayalalithaa and her close acquaintance Sasikala Natarajan for non-filing of Income Tax returns for the year 1993-94. The prosecution has alleged that they were adopting delaying tactics by not appearing in the court in the matter.