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TN defies Centre in assault case against Jaya

George Iype in New Delhi

Pressurised by the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Union home ministry has asked the Tamil Nadu government for a detailed report into the alleged assault on auditor R Rajasekaran by party general secretary J Jayalalitha.

But two days after the Centre's request, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi has not responded.

Officials said though Union Home Secretary B P Singh contacted the Tamil Nadu chief secretary seeking an official version of the auditor assault case, the Tamil Nadu government has refused to divulge the details.

The TN chief secretary promised to fax the details of the case to New Delhi by 1100 hours on Friday. But he has not yet done so. What is worse, the state government has claimed that the Centre has no right to ask for details in 'a minor incident' which could be dealt with by the state.

Home ministry officials said the Centre decided to intervene in the case as the AIADMK and other political parties like the Akali Dal and Trinamul Congress had demanded a probe into the allegations by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

According to the case filed by Rajasekaran, Jayalalitha along with her aide Sasikala Natrajan and her nephew Mahadevan summoned him to her Poes Garden bungalow and assaulted him with footwear and a thick club.

The three also allegedly threatened to kill the chartered accountant and forced him to write and sign on several documents.

Subsequently police cases have been registered against Jayalalitha and others under Sections 307, 323, 324, 342, 347 and 385 of the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act.

A home ministry official told Rediff On The Net that the Centre has every right to intervene in the case as "it has been filed under serious sections like attempt to murder, attempt to extortion and use of dangerous weapons or means."

"We are still awaiting a reply from the Karunanidhi government as to why the alleged attack by Jayalalitha has been registered under so many sections of the Indian Penal Code," he said.

AIADMK leaders, who raised the issue in Parliament last week, have also met Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani demanding action against the Karunanidhi government for harassing Jayalalitha.

"The incident of alleged attack by Jayalalitha on the chartered accountant is a fabrication and the registering of the case of attempted murder against her is part of the Karunandihi government's political vendetta," S Muthaiah, the AIADMK leader in the Lok Sabha, told Rediff On The NeT.

He said the AIADMK leadership has approached the Centre for action against the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government as "we feel Jayalalitha is being persecuted by Karunanidhi."

"The Vajpayee government has every right to intervene in the case as never before such serious allegations of murder were hurled against Jayalalitha," Muthaiah added.

The AIADMK leader hinted that Jayalalitha is scheduled to visit Delhi later this month to take up with the prime minister the 'political harassment' meted out to her by Karunanidhi.

In an attempt to ensure that Jayalalitha's crucial support to the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition continues, the Vajpayee government had last month transferred 46 corruption cases against the AIADMK chief from the special courts to the session courts.

The TN government has already moved an application in the Supreme Court challenging the Centre's notification that nullified the state's appointment of three special judges to exclusively try cases against Jayalalitha.

Political circles allege that the corruption and other criminal cases against Jayalalitha are now being fought between the Vajpayee government and the Karunanidhi regime, as the former is wholly dependent on the AIADMK chief for survival.

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