A special court in Bangalore, which conducted the trial into the Rs 66.65 crore disproportionate assets case against Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa, is set to pronounce its judgment on Saturday amid heavy police security. The court has been moved to a venue attached to the Bangalore Central Prison, 20 km outside the city, as a security measure after lawyers expressed safety concerns. On Friday, court papers, including the judgment, were moved to the new premises in a special convoy. With hundreds of AIADMK supporters expected to arrive in Bangalore to express solidarity with the CM, the Bangalore police will deploy 40 platoons of the Karnataka State Reserve Police around the court premises. Conviction in the nearly 20-year-old case could mean a prison term between six months and seven years for Jayalalithaa. It would also force her to step down as CM. The special judge in the case, John Michael Cunha, was originally scheduled to pronounce the judgment on September 20, but the case was posted to September 27 due to security concerns. The CM is scheduled to arrive in Bangalore on Saturday morning and will be transported to the special court in a Tamil Nadu government car. An intelligence report by the Karnataka police suggested extensive security arrangements should be made for Jayalalithaa’s appearance since a large number of AIADMK supporters would arrive there.
