CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has closed a petition filed against recovery of the Income Tax dues and arrears owed by former chief minister J Jayalalithaa from the compensation amount paid by the state government for taking over her Poes Garden bungalow, Veda Nilayam, for converting it into a memorial, as the petition has become infructuous following return of the money to the government.
The first bench of Chief Justice SV Gangapurwala and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy recently closed the petition filed by Vasigaran, Tamil Nadu coordinator of Aam Aadmi Party, following the submission made by the government pleader P Muthukumar that Rs 70. 40 crore, the compensation amount and interest, was returned to the government.
The return of the money was necessitated by the 2021 order of Justice N Seshasayee striking down the GO for taking over the bungalow to convert it into a memorial and the order being subsequently confirmed by a division bench which dismissed an appeal filed by the AIADMK.