A year later, a golden saga of Jayalalithaa assets continues

The peculiar court’s ruling came aft the Karnataka High Court connected January 13 dismissed a plea filed by the precocious erstwhile Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s nephew and niece, J Deepak and Deepa, seeking a enactment connected the peculiar CBI court’s order.

It each started successful 1997, a twelvemonth aft Jayalalithaa had ceded powerfulness pursuing her archetypal word arsenic Tamil Nadu CM. Her rivalry with the precocious M Karunanidhi – which would past their lifetimes – was astatine its peak, and nether the DMK main arsenic CM, the authorities registered a disproportionate assets lawsuit against Jayalalithaa.

The Income-Tax raids that followed astatine Jayalalithaa’s Veda Nilayam bungalow successful Poes Garden led to seizures which captured the nationalist imaginativeness – fuelled arsenic overmuch by DMK leaders arsenic the grade of the assets found.

Her agelong stint arsenic a palmy histrion arsenic 1 imaginable mentation was swept speech successful the frenzy of reports talking of “10,500 saris, 750 pairs of slippers” and, especially, “500 vino glasses”, isolated from 21.28 kg of golden jewellery worthy Rs 3.5 crore, 1,250 kg of metallic articles worthy Rs 3.12 crore, diamonds worthy Rs 2 crore (all arsenic per 2015 prices), and a metallic sword.

The AIADMK main reacted to this with a resoluteness to not deterioration immoderate ornaments from past on, and mostly stuck to this for the remainder of her life.

These assets were moved to the Bangalore City Civil Court and kept successful the treasury erstwhile her lawsuit was shifted determination successful 2000, connected Jayalalithaa’s apprehensions that she whitethorn not get a fair, impartial proceedings successful Tamil Nadu.

In February 2000, erstwhile the seized items were brought to Chennai’s Special Court-I for inventory and marking arsenic prosecution exhibits, a caller spree of reports followed. The pieces displayed included a diamond-studded golden loop worn by Sudhakaran, the adopted lad whom Jayalalithaa aboriginal disowned; a heavy ornamented waist loop worn by her adjacent adjutant V K Sasikala, featuring “2,389 diamonds, 18 emeralds, and 9 rubies”; and Jayalalithaa’s luxury autobus with modern amenities unheard of astatine the time.

The seizures added occurrence to the allegations that Sasikala and household (including Sudhakaran) wielded undue power connected Jayalalithaa, and gained handsomely successful the process. Many needed nary impervious of this fixed Sudhakaran’s lavish matrimony – dubbed arsenic “mother of each weddings” – held successful 1995 erstwhile Jayalalithaa was CM, and marked by ostentation, protests and petitions to court.

Some tribunal testimonies were peculiarly moving, specified arsenic of euphony composer Gangai Amaran, who broke down portion talking astir however helium had been “forced” to merchantability his onshore to Sasikala.

But the lawsuit dragged on, and yet it was successful February 2017, 2 months aft her decease successful December 2016, that Jayalalithaa was convicted successful the disproportionate assets lawsuit on with Sasikala, Sasikala’s sister-in-law Ilavarasi and Sudhakaran. They were fined Rs 130 crore and awarded a four-year jailhouse term.

While Sasikala, Ilavarasi and Sudhakaran, spent their jailhouse presumption earlier being discharged successful 2022, the seized assets continued to languish successful the treasury of the Bengaluru tribunal – till now.

On the bid for these to beryllium returned to the Tamil Nadu government, Advocate Asokan, who was portion of Jayalalithaa’s ineligible squad betwixt 2009 till her decease successful 2016, had said this is acold from a done deal.

According to him, the determination of the Bengaluru tribunal diverges from earlier Supreme Court directives. “I americium yet to spot the bid copy, but the Supreme Court had explicitly stated that the jewels beryllium auctioned if slope deposits were inadequate to screen the Rs 130 crore fine… Sasikala and Ilavarasi paid Rs 10 crore each, expecting the auction to screen the remainder of the fine. This determination undermines the SC’s bid and the ineligible process,” Asokan had said.

Recalling the proceedings and the accumulation of these items, helium pointed retired that what is earlier the tribunal present is “just jewels”, but what dominated quality successful those days were stories that conscionable “demonised” Jayalalithaa – particularly connected the saris and slippers she owned.

Meanwhile, determination person been different contenders to the assets. Jayalalithaa’s precocious brother’s children, J Deepa and Deepak, who earlier won assertion to her location successful Poes Garden, had moved tribunal stating they were entitled to her properties confiscated by the state. The Special CBI Court rejected their petitions.