Karnataka High Court upholds confiscation of Jayalalithaa’s assets

PTI, Jan 13, 2025, 8:48 PM IST

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has dismissed on Monday an appeal by J Deepak and J Deepa, the legal heirs of late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, seeking the release of her assets confiscated in a 2004 disproportionate assets case.

Jayalalithaa was convicted by a special court in 2014 for amassing wealth disproportionate to her known sources of income during her tenure from 1991 to 1996. Following her conviction, her properties were confiscated by the authorities.

Although she was acquitted by the Karnataka High Court in 2015, then congress government in Karnataka appealed against it in supreme court. Case against Jayalalithaa was abated due to her demise in 2016. While convicting late CM’s close aide V K Sasikala, and her two relatives V N Sudhakaran and Elavarasi in 2017, Supreme Court upheld the confiscation of Jayalalithaa’s assets.

Deepak and Deepa, recognized as Jayalalithaa’s legal heirs by the Madras High Court in 2020, filed an appeal seeking the release of her confiscated assets, arguing that since the proceedings against her were terminated upon her death, she should not be considered a convict, and her properties should be restored to them.

Justice V Srishananda upheld the trial court’s July 12, 2023, order rejecting their request, stating that the confiscation order remains valid as upheld by the Supreme Court.

The court noted the absence of detailed evidence indicating which assets were acquired before the investigation period and clarified that any claims regarding such assets must be supported by proper proof and presented before the trial court.

In a concluding remark, the judge encouraged the legal heirs to consider establishing a foundation in Jayalalithaa’s name to serve the poor, suggesting that engaging in charitable work would bring peace to the late leader’s soul.