PIL in Madras HC opposes converting Jayalalithaa's home into memorial, says she is a 'convict'

Chennai: A social activist on Thursday moved the Madras High Court, urging it to restrain the Tamil Nadu government from acquiring and converting late chief minister Jayalalithaa’s Poes Garden residence in Chennai into a memorial. [caption id=“attachment_3861659” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of the Madras High Court. Wikimedia Commons[/caption] In his public interest litigation petition, Traffic KR Ramaswamy said that the government should not be allowed to go ahead with the memorial for Jayalalithaa, who, he claimed, had been “declared a convict” in the disproportionate assets case by the Supreme Court in February last year. He wanted the court to restrain the government from acquiring “Veda Nilayam”, Jayalalithaas residence in the posh Poes Graden locality, and converting it into a memorial using public funds. The petition is likely to come up for hearing on Friday. The Supreme Court had abated the proceedings against Jayalalithaa in the disproportionate assets case, in which she was the prime accused, in view of her death on 5 December, 2016. It, however, convicted three other accused including Jayalalithaa’s close aide Sasikala. Chief Minister K Palaniswami had on 17 August last year announced that his government would convert Jayalalithaa’s house into a memorial. The government has recently began preliminary work on survey of the property. Jayalalithaas niece J Deepa had in October last year moved the high court opposing the government move. The court had later disposed her petition, directing the government to take a decision on her representation. Deepa had contended that Jayalalithaa’s entire estate, including Poes Garden residence, belonged to her and her brother as they were second-class legal heirs of the late leader.