Karnataka govt appoints Special Public Prosecutor to dispose former TN CM Jayalalithaa’s assets

PTI, Apr 9, 2023, 8:19 AM IST

The Karnataka Government’s Law Department has appointed advocate Kiran S Javali as the Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) to dispose the movable properties of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa that were seized in the disproportionate assets case against her. The notification for the appointment was issued on March 27.

The 1996 disproportionate assets case was transferred to Karnataka from Tamil Nadu by the Supreme Court in 2003 which led to her conviction by a special court for CBI cases in 2014. The assets were seized from Jayalalithaa’s residence on December 11, 1996.

The material evidence seized from Jayalalithaa’s residence in Chennai are currently in the custody of the Karnataka Government. These include seven kilograms of gold and diamond ornaments, 600 kilograms of silver ornaments, over 11,000 sarees, 750 footwear, 91 watches, 131 suit cases, 1,040 video cassettes, electrical goods including air-conditioners and refrigerators and other pieces of clothing. The CBI had written to the Registrar General of the Karnataka High Court in October 2022 about the need for a Special Public Prosecutor to dispose the movable assets. RTI activist T Narasimhamurthy had approached the special court seeking details of disposing the assets seized in the case. He had also sought information from the public information office which was directed by the court to provide him the details.