CHENNAI: In a huge relief to Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, who has been summoned to be personally present at an economic offences court here on October 1, the Madras high court on Wednesday dispensed with her appearance in the 18-year-old income tax returns case.

Justice K B K Vasuki, directing the income tax department to dispose of the compounding applications filed by Jayalalithaa and Sasikala within six weeks, however, said trial could go on during the period.

Income tax department's senior prosecutor K Ramasamy protested the order saying the Supreme Court has directed the economic offences court to complete trial in seven months. "This amounts to stay. Kindly tell us whether we are to follow the Supreme Court orders or youth Lordship's order."

The judge refused to be drawn into arguments saying, "I have passed my orders. I will not entertain any more arguments in the mater."

The two are facing cases for their alleged wilful failure to file tax returns for the years 1992-93 and 1993-94, which is a punishable offence under Section 276(CC) of the IT Act. The cases were filed in the year 1996. After inordinate delay, the case bounced back to life after the Supreme Court on January 30 last directed the economic offences court to complete the trial within four months. By another order, the court extended the date till September 6, 2014.

As they have been asked to be present in the trial court on October 1, they have filed the present petition saying their applications for compounding the offences were pending before the income tax department and that the trial court should not hear the case till a decision was taken on their applications. The outer time limit for processing compounding applications is 180 days, which would expire only on December 24 this year.

TOI