No fresh appeals in former CM J Jayalalithaa's case
TN can’t appoint PP as Karnataka is prosecuting, says SC
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2015-04-28 05:18 GMT
New Delhi: In a landmark verdict the Supreme Court on Monday quashed the appointment of Bhavani Singh as the special public prosecutor in the appeals filed by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and three others in the Karnataka High Court against their conviction and sentence of four year imprisonment awarded by a trial court in Bengaluru.
While holding that the Tamil Nadu government had no jurisdiction and authority to appoint Mr Bhavani Singh, the apex court, however, said there was no need for a fresh hearing of the appeals.
The bench directed the Karnataka High Court judge Kumaraswamy not to consider the arguments and written submissions of Mr Singh. The bench said, “It is the state of Karnataka which is the sole prosecuting agency and it was alone authorised to appoint the Public Prosecutor.”
On April 15, a bench of Justices Madan B. Lokur and R. Banumathi gave a split verdict on the validity of Mr Singh’s appointment and the issued was referred to three-judges.
The three-judge bench of Justices Dipak Misra, R.K. Agrawal and Prafulla C. Pant virtually asked the petitioner and the Karnataka government to step into the shoes of Mr Bhavani Singh and file written submissions by Tuesday for the consideration of Justice Kumaraswamy.