Bengaluru court to hand over confiscated valuables of Jayalalithaa to Tamil Nadu government on February 14 and 15  

Silver articles and gold ornaments found at Jayalalithaa’s residence in 1997.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu Archives

A special court in Bengaluru has decided to hand over all valuables confiscated from former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, in connection with an disproportionate assets case, to the government of Tamil Nadu on February 14 and 15.

H.A. Mohan, judge of the Special Court for Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate cases, directed officers authorised by the Tamil Nadu government to be present in the court on February 14 and 15 to take custody of the valuables that are with the special court.

The special court in July 2023 had rejected the pleas of J. Deepa and J. Deepak, the niece and nephew of Jayalalithaa who are the late Chief Minister’s legal heirs, claiming right over the seized properties. In February 2024, the special court had fixed dates in March that year to hand over the valuables to Tamil Nadu.

Following this, Mr. Deepak and Ms. Deepa had moved the High Court of Karnataka, which had stayed the process of handing over the valuables till their petitions against the special court’s order was adjudicated.

The High Court on January 13 rejected the petitions filed by the legal heirs claiming right over the confiscated valuables belonging to Jayalalithaa in the disproportionate assets case, in which she was indicted by the Supreme Court.