Tuesday, January 18 2005 20:17 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Leaving no option for Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa but to face trial at Bangalore in the Rs 65 crore disproportionate assets case, the Supreme Court today (Jan 18, 2005) dismissed her petition seeking stay on the trial and permission to argue for transfer of the case outside Karnataka.

A five-Judge Bench comprising Chief Justice R C Lahoti, Justice N Santosh Hegde, Justice Y K Sabharwal, Justice S N Variava and Justice H K Sema dismissed her curative petition against the Court's November 18, 2003 order transferring the trial from Chennai to Bangalore for holding a "free and fair" trial.

The November 19 order was passed by a Bench comprising Justice Variava and Justice Sema on a petition filed by DMK (Dravida Munnetra Khazhagam) leader K Anbazhagan seeking transfer of the case outside the State alleging "undue haste" shown by prosecution to complete the trial against the Chief Minister.

The same Bench had on February 17, 2004 dismissed an application seeking modification of the order on the ground that the situation in Karnataka was hostile to her in view of her stand in the ongoing Cauvery water dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

It had on April 28 dismissed her petition seeking review of the November 18 order and seeking transfer of the case outside Karnataka to any other State including Pondicherry.

Jayalalithaa exercised her last option in August 2004 by filing the curative petition.

The five-Judge Bench today dismissed it saying, "No case was made out" according to the parameters fixed by apex Court for entertaining her curative petition.