By IANS
New Delhi : In a setback to former Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalitha, the Supreme Court Friday refused to stall a judicial probe by the state government into allegations of land grabbing against her.
Refusing to stall the probe, a bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, Justices R.V. Raveendran and J.M. Panchal issued notices to the Tamil Nadu chief secretary and the secretary of the judicial commission entrusted with the probe.
It is the second time that the bench refused to grant any relief to Jayalalitha. The bench Jan 25 said it would not suspend the Madras High Court order giving a green signal to the probe by Justice K.P. Sivasubramaniam, a retired high court judge.
The probe was challenged by Jayalalitha’s close aide T. Chitra on the grounds that it was politically motivated.
The petitioner said that Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi personally ordered a Commission of Inquiry without getting mandatory cabinet approval.
The commission was set up to probe allegations by the ruling DMK and also Communist Party of India-Marxist that a farmhouse in Siruthavoor in Kanchipuram district belonged to Jayalalitha. The farmhouse was built on 53 acres of land given to Dalits by former chief minister C. Annadurai in 1967.
According to the allegations, the AIADMK chief used the farmhouse extensively during her tenure as chief minister, although she has maintained that she got the house on rent.
The judicial panel is to begin its hearing from Feb 13 and it will continue till Feb 19.