Landgrabing complaint by DMK men:Sasikala's brother Divakaran arrested and remanded to judicial custody

The Tamil Nadu police have arrested V Divaharan, brother of Sasikala Natarajan, former aide of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.

He was arrested in Tiruchy late on Thursday night in connection with a house-demolition case filed by DMK men, police said.

Mr. Divaharan was arrested by a police team engaged in vehicle checking at Ariyamangalam in the city. Later he was remanded to 15 days custody by a Judicial Magistrate in Needamangalam in Tiruvarur district, police said.

He was lodged in the central prison here early on Friday.

According to police, Kasturi in Rishiyur village, who is belongs to DMK party in Needamangalam had last month filed a complaint to the anti—land grabbing cell at Thiruvarur alleging that a gang at the “instigation of Divaharan” had demolished her house, constructed under Indira Awaas Yojana, and also a thatched shed in Rishiyur on November 26 last year.

In her complaint, she alleged that Mr. Divaharan was angry with her family as her husband had worked for DMK candidates during the assembly elections and local body polls.

Mr. Divaharan is second member from Ms. Sasikala’s family to face police action.

On January 27, Ravanan, another relative of Ms. Sasikala, was arrested in Coimbatore on charges of abduction for ransom, extortion and criminal conspiracy. He was also named as an accused in a cheating case by a Tirupur-based industrialist.

Ms. Jayalalithaa had on December 19 last year expelled Ms. Sasikala and her family members, often considered a power centre in the party, from the organisation’s primary membership.

On Wednesday, Madras High Court dismissed a Anticipatory Bail petition filed by Divakaran.

Sasikala's Petition dismissed

Mean while, The Karnataka High Court on Friday dismissed a petition concerning the translation process filed by V.K. Sasikala, former aide and an accused in the disproportionate assets case filed against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.

Upholding the trial court order on the petition, Justice N. Ananda held that there need not be any “interference” with the lower court order and dismissed it.

The court said the trial judge had held that the interpreter was directed to continue his services and he would interpret the questions to be put to Ms. Sasikala, from English to Tamil and answers to be given by her in Tamil to English, during recording of the statement.

“No interference is needed. The petition is hereby dismissed”, the judge said.

On December 16, 2011 Ms. Sasikala’s counsel had filed the criminal petition seeking translated versions of questions framed by the court to be kept ready in Tamil.

Subsequently on December 19, 2011 when the petition came up for hearing in High Court, Justice of B.V. Pinto granted a six-week stay on the proceedings against Ms. Sasikala in the Special Court.

The case relates to accumulation of wealth allegedly disproportionate to her known sources of income by Jayalalithaa when she was Chief Minister in 1991-96.

- Asian Tribune –

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