Karnataka Court Decides to Transfer Jayalalithaa’s Jewels to TN Government in Early March

A Bengaluru special court has said that 27 kg of gold and diamond jewelry, which serves as part of the material evidence in the disproportionate assets case against the late former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and others, will be transferred to the neighboring state’s government on March 6 and 7.

This move clears the path for unlocking the value of the assets to mobilize the Rs 100 crore fine imposed on her. While 20 kg of the jewelry could be sold or auctioned, the remaining portion was exempted by the Court due to the fact that the late Jayalalithaa inherited them from her mother.

Judge H A Mohan, presiding over the XXXII Additional City Civil & Sessions court, had previously ordered the transfer of valuables seized from Jayalalithaa to the Tamil Nadu government. The Tamil Nadu government will then take necessary action for the disposal of these gold and diamond jewels.

The trial was conducted in Karnataka on the directive of the Supreme Court, and therefore, all material evidence is currently in the Karnataka treasury under the custody of the court. The court had earlier ruled that the relatives of Jayalalithaa were not entitled to the properties confiscated by the state, rejecting a petition filed by J Deepa and J Deepak, the niece and nephew of Jayalalithaa, respectively.

In ordering the transfer of the jewels to the Tamil Nadu Government, the Special Court judge stated, “Instead of auctioning the jewels, it is better to transfer the same to Tamil Nadu by handing over the same through the Department of Home, State of Tamil Nadu.”

The court then directed the Tamil Nadu Home Department to authorize competent persons, preferably in the rank of Secretary, along with police, to collect the jewels. In the same order, the Special Court instructed the payment of Rs five crore to Karnataka for the expenses of the trial conducted in the state. This payment will be made from a fixed deposit in an account related to Jayalalithaa in the State Bank of India branch in Chennai.

The disproportionate assets trial against Jayalalithaa, her former close aide V Sasikala, V N Sudhakaran (the disowned foster son of Jayalalithaa), and Sasikala’s sister-in-law J Ilavarasi was conducted by the Special Court in Bengaluru, resulting in their conviction nearly ten years ago.