HC Dismisses Plea Seeking Jayalalithaa's Jewellery

A bench of Justice V Sreeshananda said the quashing of conviction due to her death before completion of the trial didn't clear her of charges.

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has dismissed the petition filed by Jayalalithaa's relatives seeking the custody of the former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister's gold jewellery which is in the custody of a special court in Bengaluru.

According to the order, the Karnataka government, which investigated the case, could get Rs 5 crore as investigation costs from the Tamil Nadu government. In addition, there is no hindrance in the process of returning gold ornaments, gifts belonging to Jayalalithaa and the amount of fine imposed on her close aid Sasikala, another accused in the case, to the Tamil Nadu government.

A bench headed by Justice V Sreeshananda heard the petition filed by J Deepa and Deepak. The bench also observed that the Supreme Court has upheld the trial court's order on corruption charges. The conviction against the accused (Jayalalitha) was quashed as she died before the completion of the trial. However, it does not mean that there is no charge against her.

The bench said it has been requested to return the items except those belonging to the period in which corruption is alleged to have taken place. However, proper documentation is not provided regarding the items. A related argument has not been made. Therefore, the application cannot be considered.

The counsel for the petitioner had earlier requested the court that Jayalalitha had died before the verdict of the Supreme Court on the corruption charges. Because of this, the apex court ruled that she was free from all charges. Therefore, the petitioner is the legal heir of Jayalalithaa and all her ornaments should be handed over to the petitioner.