Chennai: Former Chief Minister J Jayalaltiha’s niece Deepa has welcomed the Madras High Court’s order to hand over the palatial Poes Garden bungalow owned by her aunt to the late AIADMK supremo’s brother’s children (Deepa and Deepak) after striking down an order passed by the previous AIADMK government to acquire the property and convert it into a memorial.
‘Aunt’s aanma has not let us down. I welcome the court order and hope the current government will not go for an appeal,’ said Deepa.
Justice N Seshasayee passed the order on petitions filed by Deepa and J Deepak – daughter and son of Jayalalithaa’s only brother Jayakumar – challenging the acquisition of Veda Nilayam, the bungalow where Jayalalithaa lived for the most part of her life.
The erstwhile AIADMK government had proposed to convert Veda Nilayam — home to the state’s iconic Chief Minister — to a memorial. The AIADMK also said the party has a ‘responsibility and right’ to convert the house into a memorial and that it was the ‘wholehearted desire’ of the people of Tamilnadu and AIADMK party workers.