Jaya skips function at HC after protest by section of lawyers

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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa skipped a function at Madras High Court today, apparently to avoid embarrassment to the judiciary following protest by a section of advocates over her sharing dais with judges.

She was to attend, along with Supreme Court and High Court judges, a foundation stone laying ceremony for construction of Alternative Disputes Resolution Centre at the High Court campus here.

Supreme Court judges Altamas Kabir and P. Sathasivam, Chief Justice of Madras High Court M.Y. Eqbal and state Information and Law Minister G. Senthamizhan attended the function.

Yesterday, some advocates had stated that it was not proper for the Chief Minister to share dais with judges in the wake of a special court in Bengaluru summoning her before it on July 27 in connection with a disproportionate assets case against her.

The court had on Thursday asked Jayalalithaa and three others to be present before it for recording their statements under section 313 of CrPC (power to examine the accused) in connection with the case.

The case was transferred from a Chennai court to Bangalore by the Supreme Court in November 2003 during the previous regime of Jayalalithaa.