Having disproportionate assets not a crime, SC judge says while hearing Jayalalithaa's wealth case
Justice Amitava Roy said assets not in tune with one's income can be considered against law only when the money used to acquire it is sourced illegally.
Having disproportionate assets is not a crime per se, unless proven that the money used to acquire the wealth is sourced illegally, a Supreme Court judge said on Wednesday while hearing the Rs 67-crore assets case against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, reported The Hindu. One of the justices in the two-judge bench said this reacting to senior advocate Dushyant Dave, appearing for Karnataka, who called the high court verdict that has acquitted the chief minister in the case, “perverse beyond imagination”.
“Disproportionate assets is not a crime. It is only a crime if it is proved that the source of the money is illegal. Otherwise it [the illegality of disproportionate assets] is only an inference,” Justice Amitava Roy said to Dave. N Sasikala, J Elavarasi and VN Sudhakaran, the other accused in the case, are charged with criminal conspiracy, abetment and possession of assets that allegedly do not match their incomes.