Jayalalithaa's Gold and Jewelry to be Auctioned to Pay Rs 100 Crore Fine - 2024-02-20

CHENNAI: Nearly 10 years after former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa was convicted and sentenced to four years in jail in a corruption case — and over seven years after her death — the final judicial process to sell her assets in order to mobilize the Rs 100 crore fine imposed on her began in Bengaluru on Monday. The 36th City Civil Court in Bengaluru announced that it would hand over 27 kilograms of gold and diamond jewelry belonging to Jayalalithaa to the Home Secretary of Tamil Nadu on March 6 and 7, 2024. While 20 kilos of jewelry will be sold or auctioned for payment as a fine, 7 kilos are exempted as they are deemed inherited from her mother. On its part, Canfin Homes Limited, where Jayalalithaa had an account, handed over Rs 59 lakh to the special court in Bengaluru on Monday. Special Judge Mohan passed a brief order recording the fact that as directed by him earlier, the Tamil Nadu government had issued a GO on February 16 authorizing the state’s Home Secretary and an Inspector-General of Police-rank officer from the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) to visit the Bengaluru court and receive the gold and diamond jewelry on behalf of the state of Tamil Nadu. The judge said: “It is ordered that the principal secretary, department of home, state of Tamil Nadu, is directed to come along with IGP, as per the government order of Tamil Nadu, on March 6, 2024, along with a photographer and videographer, and six big trunks with necessary security for collecting the jewels from this court. Further, the 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.” It also said: “At this point in time, an official from Canfin Homes Ltd is present and submits her letter stating that an amount of Rs 59,82,861.44 has been deposited with the secretary to the government, public (government of Tamil Nadu). Along with the said letter, a DD for that amount is produced. The same is taken on record.” It was in September 2014 that special judge John Michael D’Cunha convicted Jayalalithaa, N Sasikala, J Ilavarasi, and V N Sudhakaran in a 1,136-page judgment and sentenced all of them to undergo imprisonment for four years each. He also imposed a Rs 100 crore fine on Jayalalithaa, and Rs 10 crore each on the other three. Though the Karnataka High Court acquitted all of them on May 11, 2015, the Supreme Court restored judge D’Cunha’s order on February 14, 2017. 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 the fine too. The special court’s present proceedings are to auction the movable and immovable assets of Jayalalithaa to realize the Rs 100 crore fine imposed on her. After the jewelry is auctioned off, the court will bring her immovable assets for auction and pay the remaining sum of the Rs 100 crore fine.