Karnataka High Court Denies Jayalalithaa Heirs' Asset Appeal

The Karnataka High Court has dismissed the appeal by J Deepak and J Deepa, heirs of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, for the release of her assets, confiscated in a 2004 disproportionate assets case. Jayalalithaa was found guilty, and the confiscation was upheld by the Supreme Court.

The Karnataka High Court has officially rejected an appeal by J Deepak and J Deepa, the legal heirs of the late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. This decision pertains to their request for the release of Jayalalithaa's assets, originally confiscated following a 2004 disproportionate assets case.

Jayalalithaa faced conviction in 2014 by a special court for accumulating wealth disproportionate to her known income during her governance from 1991 to 1996. Her subsequent acquittal by the Karnataka High Court in 2015 was contested by the then Congress government. Although the Supreme Court upheld asset confiscation, it abated the case against her posthumously, while continuing against her close aide V K Sasikala.

The heirs, recognized in 2020 by the Madras High Court, filed for asset recovery, arguing Jayalalithaa's non-convict status post-demise. However, Justice V Srishananda, referencing lack of concrete evidence regarding pre-investigation asset acquisition, maintained the trial court's decision, encouraging a charitable foundation in Jayalalithaa's memory as a conciliatory gesture.

(With inputs from agencies.)