Justin George, 18th Metropolitan Magistrate, recorded their presence and put off further hearing till August 25 as copies of the chargesheet filed by the city police in June were not ready for being issued to the accused.

Jayalalitha, her close friend Sasikala Natarajan, the latter's nephew, V Mahadevan, and his associate Venkatesan have together been charged with allegedly beating up Rajasekharan at the AIADMK supremo's Poes Garden residence.

Jayalalitha's lawyers filed an application to exempt her from being personally present for all hearings. The prosecutor sought time to reply to plea, but her lawyers argued that the Magistrate could straightaway exempt her from being present as the State Government had not opposed similar petitions before special judges trying Jayalalitha oncorruption cases.

Her presence had been dispensed with those cases, and there was no reason for her to be made to appear in the auditor attack case too, they contended.

The Magistrate posted the petition for hearing along with the main case on August 25.

According to the chargesheet, based on the statements of Rajasekharan, his brother R Ganesan, a lawyer, and some other witnesses, Jayalalitha, Sasikala and Mahadevan had beaten him using high-heeled footwear and a stick after he allegedly refused to `own up' some `mistakes' in his handling of their tax matters, leading to tax prosecutions against them.

The auditor, who suffered bruises in several places and a serious injury in one of his eyes, had complained to the police that he was forced to sign some papers. He was later released and threatened by Mahadevan with a revolver that he would be eliminated if he revealed the incident to the police.

Jayalalitha had denied that such an incident had taken place in her residence on that day, and accusedChief Minister M Karunanidhi of foisting the case on her.

The four accused have been charged under Sections 323 (causing hurt), 342 (wrongful confinement), 384 (extortion) and 506(2) (criminal intimidation) of the IPC, while Mahadevan, from whom the revolver has been seized, faces an additional charge under the Arms Act.

The case was initially registered under Section 307 of IPC (attempt to commit murder), but the section does not figure in the chargesheet.