Asif's condition had led to three postponements in framing of charges against the accused in the case, in which AIADMK leader Jayalalitha is the main accused. Framing of charges was first fixed for May 25, then May 28 and May 31.

On May 31, Judge P Anbazhagan had written to the dean of the government general hospital requesting him to constitute a panel of doctors, including one from the railway hospital here, to examine Asif, a former AIADMK minister, who was stated to be suffering from a heart ailment.

Others arraigned in the case are Jayalalitha's close friend Sasikala Natarajan, former managing director of the state-owned TANSI, TSrinivasan, a Deputy Collector of Stamps S Nagarajan and a former secretary in Jayalalitha's office when she was chief minister, Karpoorasundara Pandian.

The case relates to purchase of land and buildings of TANSI, by `Jaya Publications' a firm in which the AIADMK leader and Sasikala were partners, far below the then prevailing rate and evasion of stamp duty and registration charges.

As soon as the special court commenced its sitting for the day, defence counsel Jothi pleaded with the judge to adjourn proceedings in the case till June 8 as Justice E Padmanabhan of the Madras High Court had posted the writ petition filed by him to June 7.

Paying no heed to public prosecutor G Krishmurthy's objection to the request for adjournment, Jothi contended that Justice Padmanabhan had remarked: ``The trial judge is an experienced senior judge and he knows what to do and the writ petition will not become infructuous.''

Jothi said that in reply to his submission that if the trial court acted on the panel's medicalreport before June 7 his petition would become infructuous, the judge had held that the report could also be in his (Asif's) favour.

Special Judge Anbazhagan after hearing defence counsel's submissions asked him to put it down in writing. However, at the insistence of the public prosecutor, the defence counsel was directed to give his submissions in an affidavit.