The special court set up in Bangalore as per the directions of the Supreme Court to try Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and four others in the Rs 66.65-crore disproportionate asset cases commenced the trial on Monday.

Judge A S Pachhapure adjourned further hearing to March 28.

He also exempted Jayalalithaa, Sashikala Natarajan, Ilavarasi and T T V Dinakaran from personal appearance after the counsels for the accused, led by N Jyoti, filed applications to this effect.

Another accused V N Sudhakaran was present before the court.

Jena Senan, appearing for Dinakaran in the London [Images] Hotel case, filed an application requesting the court to exempt his client from personal appearance as he was attending the Rajya Sabha session. Senan also moved another application seeking the clubbing of both the cases for the trial.

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Pachhapure said he would hear the applications on March 28. He asked Public Prosecutor B V Acharya to put forth his views on the issue during the next hearing.

Senan said Ilavarasi's presence was required in Chennai to support her daughter, who recently gave birth to twins. Hence, she should be exempted from personal appearance.

The judge directed the court staff to furnish on March 28 the documents pertaining to the case translated into English from Tamil.

Earlier, Jyoti moved applications on behalf of Jayalalithaa and Sashikala seeking their exemption from personal appearance. Jyoti submitted that it was only a transferred case and the orders of the Madras high court in this regard were still in operation. Since the identification of the accused was not in dispute, there was nothing that barred the court from granting the exemption, he said.

Judge Pachhapure then asked the public prosecutor if he had any objection. Acharya said he had none.