CHENNAI: In a significant verdict, a single-judge bench of the Madras High Court on Wednesday (November 24) set aside the order to acquire Veda Nilayam, the residence of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa located at the posh Poes Garden in Alwarpet, and ordered the authorities to hand over the bungalow to her legal heirs.
Justice N Seshasayee delivered the judgment on a batch of petitions filed by J Deepa and J Deepak, niece and nephew of Jayalalithaa, challenging the acquisition of the bungalow made by the previous AIADMK government in order to convert it into a memorial.
“The order of acquisition is quashed. Compensation amount which the government had deposited pursuant to the award is liable to be returned with interest to the government,” the judge said in the order.
He directed the Chennai district collector to hand over the possession of Veda Nilayam to Jayalalithaa’s legal heirs.
“The district collector, Chennai, who is in custody of Veda Nilayam is directed to hand it over to the petitioners within a period of three weeks,” Justice Seshasayee said.
He allowed the Income Tax (IT) department to initiate proceedings for recovery of any arrears of tax payable by Jayalalithaa.
Quashing the acquisition order, the judge also questioned the need for having two memorials for the late leader.
The sprawling bungalow with an area of 24,322 sq.ft. had remained the seat of power for several decades as Jayalalithaa had been occupying it for over forty years.
It is a silent witness to many historic political decisions that had far-reaching ramifications for Tamil Nadu politics.
The tussle for the bungalow's custody led to a bitter legal battle between the previous AIADMK government and the legal heirs of Jayalalithaa when the then Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswamy announced his intention to convert it into a memorial in 2017, a year after her death.
The acquisition process was initiated leading to formal inauguration of the memorial in January 2021. However, it was not thrown open to the public.
In the meantime, buoyed by the success of getting declared as the legal heirs of the late leader, Deepa and Deepak approached the Madras High Court challenging the acquisition and praying for orders to hand the bungalow over to them in their right as legal heirs.