Tamil Nadu
A PIL has been filed in Madras High Court seeking to auction or sell immovable properties of late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to realise the Rs 100 crore fine slapped on her by the Supreme Court in a graft case.
When the petition by C Kumaran of Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam came up today, a bench comprising Justices M Sathyanarayanan and M Sundar, directed the petitioner to place before it legal submissions on entertaining his plea. It then adjourned the matter to July 7.
Referring to the Supreme Court order in the Rs 66.65 crore disproportionate wealth case, the petitioner said the Court had only abetted the sentence of Jayalalithaa in view of her demise, but the Rs 100 crore fine and a direction to confiscate her properties remained in force.
On Karnataka government's demand for payment of Rs 12 crore towards expenses incurred for the trial, the petitioner submitted that it cannot be paid from the government exchequer and instead should be collected from the convicts.
Hence, he prayed for a direction to the authorities to auction or sell Jayalalithaa's immovable and movable properties as per the trial court and apex court orders.
AIADMK chief V K Sasikala and three others who were convicted are presently lodged in Parappana Agrahara central jail in Bengaluru.
Subramanian Swamy, then Janata Party chief, filed a case against Jayalalithaa alleging that during her tenure as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister from 1991 to 1996, she amassed properties worth Rs. 66.65 crore disproportionate to her known sources of income.