A special court has announced that 27 kg of gold and diamond jewelry, crucial evidence in the disproportionate assets case involving former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, the late J Jayalalithaa, and others, will be transferred to the neighboring state’s government on March 6 and 7. This move aims to unlock the value of the assets to help pay the ₹100 crore fine imposed on her.

The court ruled that while 20 kg of the jewelry could be sold or auctioned, the remaining portion was exempted from disposal, as it was inherited by Jayalalithaa from her mother. Judge H A Mohan, presiding over the XXXII Additional City Civil & Sessions court, had previously ordered the transfer of the seized valuables to the Tamil Nadu government. The government will then decide on the appropriate action for disposal.

The trial took place in Karnataka as per the Supreme Court’s directive, and therefore, all material evidence is currently in the custody of the Karnataka treasury under the court’s supervision. The court had earlier determined that Jayalalithaa’s relatives were not entitled to the confiscated properties, dismissing a petition filed by her niece and nephew, J Deepa and J Deepak, respectively.

In issuing the direction for the transfer of the jewels to the Tamil Nadu Government, the Special Court emphasized the preference for handing over the assets through the Department of Home, State of Tamil Nadu, rather than auctioning them. Additionally, the court ordered the payment of ₹five crore to Karnataka to cover the expenses of the trial conducted in the state.

This payment will be facilitated through a fixed deposit account related to Jayalalithaa in a State Bank of India branch in Chennai. The disproportionate assets trial against Jayalalithaa, her former close aide V Sasikala, V N Sudhakaran, and Sasikala’s sister-in-law J Ilavarasi was conducted by the Special Court in Bengaluru nearly ten years ago, resulting in their conviction.

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