A special court in Bangalore will on Saturday pronounce the verdict in the 18-year-old Rs 66.65 crore disproportionate assets case against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.
Amid palpable tension, the 65-year-old AIADMK chief set out from her Poes Garden residence at 8:40 am towards airport along with her close aide Sasikala Natarajan, another accused in the case, besides Ilavarasi and flew to Bangalore in a special aircraft.
The other accused in the case is Jayalalithaa’s disowned foster son VN Sudhakaran.
From the airport, the Tamil Nadu CM will reach the makeshift court at the Parappana Agrahara prisons complex by helicopter.
A majority of Jayalalithaa’s ministerial colleagues has already left for Bangalore and some more flew this morning, AIADMK sources said.
Chennai Mayor Saidai Duraisamy is scheduled to arrive in Bangalore and the mayors of several other corporations are on their way to the Karnataka capital.
Special Court Judge Michael Dicunha will be delivering the verdict by noon at the makeshift court on the outskirts of Bangalore city, which has been provided with multi-layer security cover.
The Bangalore city police have promulgated prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC as a precautionary measure ahead of the court delivering its verdict.
Sources said the party workers, who are hoping that “truth will prevail” and their party chief will be exonerated, have already stored fire crackers and ordered sweets for distribution.
Meanwhile, the DMK camp, which vigorously pursued the case and had led political campaigns based on it, is anxiously awaiting the verdict as the outcome will have tremendous significance for the state’s political scenario.
The case was transferred to Bangalore’s Special Court in 2003 by the Supreme Court on a petition filed by DMK leader K Anbazhagan who had expressed doubts over conduct of fair trail in Tamil Nadu as Jayalalithaa ruled the state then.
(With PTI inputs)