J. Deepa, niece of late chief minister of Tamil Nadu J Jayalalithaa, officially received the keys to the Poes Garden residence of her aunt on Friday, bringing to close a protracted legal battle to obtain the custody of the palatial building.
Chennai Collector Vijaya Rani officially handed over the keys to Jayalalithaa's residence after a single-judge bench of the Madras High Court on November 24 paved the way by setting aside the order to acquire Veda Nilayam, the residence of Jayalalithaa, and ordering that it be handed over to the legal heirs.
"It's a big victory. It can't be considered as an ordinary victory. I am very happy I feel very emotional as I am stepping into my aunt's house for the first time after her demise, Deepa reacted. Accompanied by her husband Madhavan and well-wishers, Deepa garlanded the portrait of the late chief minister and paid floral tributes. This is my birthplace. Memories of the days I spent with my aunt floods my mind," Deepa told reporters.
"Jayalalithaa's Poes Garden residence is very much her private residence just as late chief minister and AIADMK founder M.G. Ramachandran's house in Ramavaram is his own. This is my aunt's house and not a power-centre. There should be no politics over it," she added.
Delivering the verdict on a batch of petitions filed by Deepa and her brother J Deepak, which challenged the acquisition of the bungalow by the previous AIADMK government to convert it into a memorial, Justice N. Seshasayee directed the Chennai district collector to hand over the possession of Veda Nilayam to Jayalalithaa's legal heirs. Quashing the order on acquisition, the judge directed that compensation amount which the government had deposited pursuant to the award is liable to be returned with interest to the government. Following this, the Chennai collector handed over the possession of Jayalalithaa's residence to Deepa.
"The soul of our aunt will now rest in peace. There was resistance against my taking possession of the house. Now with the legal battle over, I have that right, Deepa said and added this was because of her aunt's blessings. For now we are going to occupy the house and take up the maintenance," Deepa said.
