More than three months after the Supreme Court upheld the trial court’s verdict in the Disproportionate Assets case, the Tamil Nadu government has begun the process of confiscating properties belonging to late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, her aide VK Sasikala, and two others.
The Hindu’s S Vijay Kumar reported that collectors of six districts including Chennai, Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur have been issued instructions to take possession of 68 properties out of the 128 attached in the case. All of these have been registered in the names of six companies floated by the four accused in the DA case – Jayalalithaa, Sasikala, Sasikala’s nephew Sudhakaran and her sister-in-law Ilavarasi.
Ordering the confiscation of properties, Justice John Michael Cunha stated in the 2014 trial court judgement, “All the immovable properties registered in the names of Lex Property Developments Pvt. Ltd., Meadow Agro Farms Pvt. Ltd., Ramaraj Agro Mills Pvt. Ltd., Signora Business Enterprises (P) Ltd., Riverway Agro Products (P) Ltd., and Indo Doha Chemicals and Phramaceuticals Ltd., which are under attachment pursuant to G.O. Nos. M.S. 120 and 1183, shall be confiscated to the State Government.”
The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption, the prosecuting agency in the DA case, recently wrote to the Collectors ordering the confiscation of the property.
Once the land is identified and marked, boards will be put up stating that the property belongs to the state government. An official told The Hindu, “The Tamil Nadu government will become the owner of these properties, which can either be used for official purposes or sold in public auction.”
Among the properties to be confiscated is the Kodanadu Tea Estate spread across 906 acres in the picturesque Nilgiris district. The Kodanadu Tea Estate, which was once Jayalalithaa’s favourite summer retreat, has been in the news recently after its former owner Peter Jones accused Sasikala and her associates of forcing him to sell the property.
Demanding justice 23 years after being forced to part with the Kodanadu Tea Estate, Peter told TNM that he wants justice from the government or the court. “I want a settlement, it is not something I can make, but the court and government need to do. I am expecting that one of the two will auction or take over the properties. At that stage, I want to have a claim to get Kodanadu back, in whatever manner that is preferable. If I can’t get the property back and Sasikala retains it, then I want her to make good on her earlier promises. I don’t have any ways to pressurise her,” Peter had said.
The Supreme Court had convicted Sasikala, Sudhakaran and Ilavarasi in February 2017 in the Rs 67 crore disproportionate assets case, and abated the charges against Jayalalithaa following her death.
The court had found that, based on evidence, the four accused had entered into a conspiracy and the late CM had amassed assets disproportionate to her income. The two-judge bench comprising of Justices PC Ghose and Amitava Roy had also noted that as part of the conspiracy, a number of private firms were created, many of which did no business activity besides purchasing property.