'Karnataka should appeal against Jayalalithaa's acquittal'

Chennai, May 12: Two major opposition parties in Tamil Nadu - the DMK and PMK - on Tuesday urged the Karnataka government to go in appeal against the Karnataka High Court verdict acquitting former chief minister Jayalalithaa in disproportionate assets case. The two parties claimed that there were arithmetical errors in the calculations of the high court. In a statement here, DMK president M. Karunanidhi said Karnataka High Court Justice C.R. Krishnaswamy in his verdict has said Jayalalithaa did not have assets worth around Rs.66 crore and overruled the trial court's order. Karunanidhi said listing out the borrowings from Indian Bank by Jayalalithaa and others, the judge had arrived at a total of Rs.24,17,31,274. "Anybody who knows addition would tell the total would be only Rs.10,67,31,274. But the judge had totalled it as Rs.24,17,31,274 and said that it was wrong to file a case against Jayalalithaa for disproportionate assets of Rs.66 crore," Karunanidhi said. The difference between these two figures is around Rs.13.50 crore. Similarly, the judge has reduced the amount spent on the wedding of Sudhakaran and value of Jayalalithaa's house at Poes Garden without explaining the rationale for that, Karunanidhi said. The judge in his order said the prosecution has mixed up assets of accused, firms and companies and also added the cost of construction amounting to Rs.27,79,88,945 and marriage expenses at Rs.6,45,04,222 to value the assets at Rs.66,44,73,573.