2G: SC refuses to exempt Karunanidhi’s wife from grilling
22 Aug 2013
The Supreme Court today ruled that Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief M Karunanidhi's wife Dayalu Ammal cannot avoid deposing as a witness in the 2G spectrum allocation case; but exempted her from personal appearance in trial court and directed that she be examined by a commission in Chennai.
"No question of her exemption arises," a bench of Justices G S Singhvi and K S Radhakrishnan said when the counsel appearing for Ammal said she is not fit to depose.
The bench agreed that according to a medical board report, she is unfit to depose as a witness before the court as she cannot travel, and asked the Special CBI Court hearing the 2G cases to appoint a commission to examine her in the case in Chennai where she resides.
"We are satisfied that the purpose would be served by appointing a commission to examine her in Chennai," the bench said.
The apex court had, on 10 July, directed the director of Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to constitute a medical board to examine whether Ammal is fit to depose as a witness before the special court.
Karunanidhi's daughter, DMK MP Kanimozhi, and Sharad Kumar, managing director of the TV channel that is accused of acting as a conduit for bribe money, are also facing trial in the case along with former telecom minister A Raja, DB Realty Ltd managing director Vinod Goenka and others.
The bench passed the order on a plea filed by Ammal's daughter Selvi seeking court's direction to exempt her mother from appearing before the trial court as prosecution witness on medical grounds.
In the petition, it was submitted that due to her physical and mental condition, Ammal is prone to "abrasive behaviour, clumsy habits with sudden hitting or punching people, inappropriate talk and action and inability to take care of day-to-day activities".
The petition was filed against the Special CBI Court's order refusing to exempt 82-year-old Ammal from appearing as a witness in the case.
The plea for exempting Ammal from appearing as a prosecution witness had earlier been moved in the Delhi High Court, which on 4 July asked her to approach the apex court for relief, as the 2G case is being monitored by it.
