A CBI court in Bengaluru, on Wednesday, January 29 said that it will hand over the valuables involved in late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s 2004 disproportionate assets case to the Tamil Nadu government.
Judge HA Mohan, who was presiding the hearing at a special court for Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) cases, has directed authorities to hand over the assets by February 14 or 15.
The decision comes in the wake of the Karnataka High Court ruling on January 13, rejecting an appeal by Jayalalithaa’s legal heirs seeking the release of her seized properties and assets in the disproportionate assets case. The appeal was moved by the late chief minister’s nephew and niece—J Deepak and J Deepa—after the CBI court dismissed their earlier plea for the same in July 2023. At the time, HA Mohan at the CBI court had said at the time that the assets had been acquired by “illegal means”
According to The Hindu, in February 2024, the CBI court had intended to hand over the assets to the Tamil Nadu government by March of the same year, but Deepa and Deepak had acquired a stay order from the Karnataka High Court. However, earlier this month, the high court rejected their plea.
While hearing the heirs’ petition, Justice V Srishananda of the Karnataka High Court had suggested that they consider setting up a foundation in Jayalalithaa’s name to serve the poor. He had added that material wealth does not last and had encouraged them to do good deeds that would bring “peace” to her legacy.