In a relief to Jayalalithaa, Acharya says he will not file an additional submission in DA case

In a relief to Jayalalithaa, Acharya says he will not file an additional submission in DA case
In a relief to Jayalalithaa, Acharya says he will not file an additional submission in DA case
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In August 2012, former Karnataka Advocate General BV Acharya resigned as the Special Public Prosecutor from the Jayalalithaa DA trial being conducted in Bengaluru. A visibly upset Acharya then told reporters that he was under pressure from the state government and "forces" who wanted him to quit. At that time, the BJP was in power in Karnataka and was known to be courting Jayalalithaa in the run up to 2014 general elections.Acharya had been the SPP of the case since 2005, and in seven years he had built up a strong case against Jayalalithaa. His commitment, and the exhaustive investigation material and statement of witnesses, eventually lead to Jayalalithaa’s conviction by the Special court in September 2014.Three years after his resignation, Acharya is now back as the prosecutor in the case after Supreme Court struck down the appointment of SPP Bhavani Singh, and maintained that Karnataka was the sole prosecutor in the case.Acharya’s return has sent jitters in AIADMK circles, and one element that is being fiercely debated about in political circles is if Acharya will file additional submissions in court. In his written submission to the Karnataka High Court on April 28, Acharya has said, “The undersigned craves leave of this honorable to file additional submissions if opportunity is afforded.”But Acharya has since changed his mind. The veteran advocate told The News Minute that he has no plans of submitting any additional submissions. “I did write that in my first submission, but as of now I have no plans to give any additional submissions,” he says.This is a significant, development for Jayalalithaa as her legal team was concerned if Acharya would make one more intervention.He compares his return to the case to that of a patient reaching a hospital with just one doctor around. “Can that doctor deny treatment? The Karnataka government was given just one day to file submissions. If I had rejected, it would have been arrogance on my part,” he says.Acharya however is unsure if he would continue to be a part of the case if it goes to the Supreme Court on appeal. “The government needed me now and I obliged. Whether I will continue as SPP is not a question I would like to answer now.”With the SC deadline and Jayalalithaa’s bail set to end on May 12, a crescendo is building up in Tamil Nadu on when the judgement will be delivered. “Ask an astrologer,” says Acharya with a smile.

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