The Karnataka High Court dismissed the claim by the relatives for the gold jewellery of Jayalalitha, ex-Chief minister of the State of Tamil Nadu which was in the custody of the Court.
A petition filed by J. Deepa and Deepak, the class II legal heirs of Jayalalitha was heard by a bench led by Justice V. Sreeshananda. The petitioner's counsel previously argued before the court that Jayalalithaa had passed away before the Supreme Court delivered its verdict on the corruption charges against her. As a result, the apex court ruled that she stood cleared of all charges due to her demise. Based on this, the counsel asserted that the petitioner is the legal heir of Jayalalithaa and, therefore, all her ornaments and personal belongings should be returned to the petitioner.
During the hearing, the bench noted that the Supreme Court had previously upheld the trial court's findings concerning corruption charges in the case. However, the bench clarified that while the conviction against the accused, Jayalalithaa, was quashed due to her passing before the completion of the trial, it should not be interpreted as an indication that she was absolved of all charges. The court emphasized that her death merely brought the trial to a premature conclusion and did not negate the existence of the corruption charges against her.
The bench stated that a request was made to return certain items, excluding those from the period during which corruption is alleged to have occurred. However, it noted that the application lacked proper documentation regarding the listed items. Additionally, no related arguments were presented before the court. As a result, the bench concluded that the application could not be considered.
As per the court's order, the Karnataka government, which conducted the investigation in the case, is entitled to recover Rs 5 crore as investigation costs from the Tamil Nadu government. The court further clarified that there is no legal barrier to returning various assets, including gold ornaments, gifts, and personal belongings of the late Jayalalithaa, to the Tamil Nadu government. Additionally, the court observed that the fine imposed on Sasikala, a close aide of Jayalalithaa and a co-accused in the case, can also be handed over to the Tamil Nadu government without any procedural hindrance. This directive aims to ensure that the respective governments can complete the necessary formalities without delay.
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