'Get 6 Big Trunks for Jewels': Jayalalithaa's Over 27kg Gold Will be Given to Tamil Nadu Govt

While 20 kg of jewellery will be sold or auctioned to realise the fine, 7kg is exempt as it is deemed as inherited from Jayalalithaa’s mother. (File photo: PTI)

Over 27kg of gold and diamond jewellery belonging to the late Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa will be handed over to the home secretary of her state on March 6 and 7. The procedure will mark the beginning of the final judicial process to sell her assets to mobilise the Rs 100 crore fine imposed on her.

According to a report in Times of India, the decision was announced by the 36th city civil court in Bengaluru on Monday. The move comes nearly 10 years after Jayalalithaa was convicted and sentenced to four years’ imprisonment in a corruption case, and more than seven years after her death, the report stated.

What Will be Auctioned?

According to TOI, the special court’s present proceedings are to auction the movable and immovable assets of Jayalalithaa. After the jewellery is auctioned, the court will bring her immovable assets to auction.

While 20 kg of jewellery will be sold or auctioned to realise the fine, 7kg is exempt as it is deemed as inherited from her mother. For its part, Canfin Homes Ltd, where Jayalalithaa had an account, handed over almost Rs 60 lakh to the special court in Bengaluru on Monday, the report stated.

‘Bring Photographer, 6 Big Trunks to Collect Jewels’

TOI stated that special judge Mohan passed a brief order recording the fact that as directed by him earlier, Tamil Nadu govt had issued a GO on February 16 authorising the state home secretary and an inspector-general of police from the directorate of vigilance and anti-corruption (DVAC) to come to the Bengaluru court and receive the gold and diamond jewellery.

The judge was quoted as saying that the officers must bring “along a photographer and videographer, and six big trunks with necessary security, for collecting the jewels from this court”.

“Further, registrar, city civil court, is instructed to make necessary security arrangements with local police on those two days for the purpose of handing over the jewels to the state of Tamil Nadu,” he added.

Recap of Jayalalithaa’s Conviction

In September 2014, J Jayalalithaa was sentenced to four years in jail and slapped with Rs 100 crore fine after being found guilty of corruption by a special court in Bengaluru.

Along with former CM, special judge John Michael D’Cunha had convicted N Sasikala, J Ilavarasi and V N Sudhakaran in a 1,136-page judgment. They too were sentenced four years’ imprisonment each, and were fined Rs 10 crore each.

Though Karnataka high court acquitted all of them on May 11, 2015, the Supreme Court restored judge D’Cunha’s order on February 14, 2017, TOI stated.

However, since Jayalalithaa had died by then, the apex court said the charges against her would lapse. The other three, however, had to serve the four-year sentence and pay their fines.