SC asks Sasikala to surrender immediately, rejects plea seeking more time

Refusing to accept a plea seeking more time to surrender before the Bengaluru trial court following her conviction by the Supreme Court in the Disproportionate Assets case, the apex court told Sasikala’s lawyers that they do not intend to pass any further orders, and that she has to surrender immediately.

Sasikala’s counsel, senior SC lawyer KTS Tulsi appeared before the bench on Wednesday morning and sought time for her, stating that she needed it to manage her affairs before going to jail.

However, the SC flatly refused to accept the plea, and stated sternly that ‘immediately means immediately’.

“We do not intend to pass any order on this. We are not going to change anything in the judgment,” the SC is reported to have said, according to PTI.

Passing the orders on Tuesday, the two-judge SC bench had set aside the Karnataka HC acquittal and restored the trial court conviction of Sasikala and two others, and ordered them to surrender before the Bengaluru trial court ‘forthwith’.

Back in Chennai, Sasikala is reportedly preparing to make her way to Bengaluru by road. According to reports, her convoy is getting ready to leave anytime.

Earlier on Wednesday, legal experts and lawyers told TNM that Sasikala would have to surrender as soon as possible, customarily within a day from the verdict.

Advocate Saravanan, spokesperson of the DMK and one of the lawyers who represented DMK’s K Anbazhagan in the DA case in the Bengaluru trial court, says that Sasikala’s lawyers cannot feign ignorance and hide behind the technicality of the certified copy.

“They have to show positive intent. Their lawyers were present in the court, they heard the judge pronounce them guilty and order them to appear before the trial court immediately. The order has also been uploaded on the website. So, she has to surrender immediately,” he says, adding that it is not just about legality, but perception too, and that she is losing that battle.