Tamil Nadu govt takes possession of Jayalalithaa's seized assets, including 27 kg gold and 1,116 kg silver

The Tamil Nadu government officially took possession of assets seized from late chief minister J Jayalalithaa after a long running disproportionate assets case, reported TOI.

These include 27 kg and 558 grams of gold jewellery, 1,116 kg of silver, and documents related to 1,526 acres of land, previously stored in the Karnataka Vidhana Soudha treasury. The transfer happened on Friday after a Bengaluru court's order for Karnataka to hand over the valuables.

The process of transfer was overseen by court and government officials, who documented and photographed the items. These included an opulent golden crown, an extensive jewellery collection, and a sword with intricate engravings.


Narsimha Murthy, the petitioner, told PTI that only jewellery and documents were handed over, while 27 other items remained with Jayalalithaa's secretary since 1996.

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a plea by Jayalalithaa’s legal heir seeking the return of the confiscated assets. A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma said that while the proceedings were abated after her death, it did not mean she was acquitted.

The 2017 judgment confirmed that the high court’s decision acquitting her had not attained finality.

Earlier, a special CBI court had ordered a transfer of all confiscated assets to the Tamil Nadu government. The Karnataka High Court dismissed a plea by the former chief minister’s niece and nephew, J Deepa and J Deepak, who claimed the properties as her legal heirs.

The court upheld the confiscation, stating the conviction of her co-accused remained valid.

The seized properties include Veda Nilayam, her Chennai residence, land parcels, estates, bank deposits, and valuables amassed between July 1991 and April 1996.