Despite the Madras high court order setting aside AIADMK’s acquisition of former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s Chennai residence, tussle over the property continues as the party is set to decide on its next course of action at the executive committee meeting on December 1, joint coordinator and leader of opposition Edappadi Palaniswami said on Monday. Legal heirs to the residence J Deepa and J Deepak have, on the other hand, have approached the Chennai collectors for the keys.
“AIADMK’s one-crore strong cadre considers the place as a temple. We will retrieve it,” Palaniswami said in Salem. It was the Palaniswami-led government that decided to acquire Jayalalithaa’s 24,322 sq ft bungalow to turn it into a memorial for her. “We are discussing the possibility of going for an appeal. On December 1, we will arrive at a decision,” he said.
Jayalalithaa’s niece and nephew, Deepa and Deepak, filed separate petitions with the Chennai district collector asking for the keys to the residence. “Based on the court orders, we sent a representation last Thursday to the collector,” said their counsel S L Sudarsanam. “We are yet to receive a response.”
On November 24, Justice N Seshasayee passed a 123-page order, in which he set aside the acquisition reasoning that it does not involve a ‘public purpose’ based on writ petitions filed by the siblings Deepa and Deepak. The court also directed the Chennai district collector, in whose custody the keys of the property are, to hand them over to the petitioners within three weeks.
Jayalalithaa’s death in office on December 5, 2016, led to several controversies. She left no will or legal and political heirs. This led to several factions fighting for the reins of the AIADMK, which included Deepa, O Panneerselvam (joint coordinator of AIADMK) and V K Sasikala, who lived with Jayalalithaa in Veda Nilayam for three decades. In 2017, after Sasikala was convicted to a four-year jail term in the disproportionate assets case, she handpicked Palaniswami to be the chief minister, who later joined hands with Panneerselvam and expelled her. A day ahead of Sasikala’s release from prison in January this year, AIADMK inaugurated the residence as a memorial, which was seen as a move to prevent Sasikala’s entry. Sasikala, after taking a break from politics, has been active on the ground to reclaim the AIADMK.
{{/usCountry}}Jayalalithaa’s death in office on December 5, 2016, led to several controversies. She left no will or legal and political heirs. This led to several factions fighting for the reins of the AIADMK, which included Deepa, O Panneerselvam (joint coordinator of AIADMK) and V K Sasikala, who lived with Jayalalithaa in Veda Nilayam for three decades. In 2017, after Sasikala was convicted to a four-year jail term in the disproportionate assets case, she handpicked Palaniswami to be the chief minister, who later joined hands with Panneerselvam and expelled her. A day ahead of Sasikala’s release from prison in January this year, AIADMK inaugurated the residence as a memorial, which was seen as a move to prevent Sasikala’s entry. Sasikala, after taking a break from politics, has been active on the ground to reclaim the AIADMK.
{{/usCountry}}According to the revenue department, the three-storey residence is on a ten-ground plot. It has 32,721 moveable items, including 8,376 books and 394 mementoes. Fourteen items of gold, weighing 4.4 kgs and 867 items of silver, weighing 601 kgs.