Poes Garden house: HC allows inauguration but restricts entry

Chennai

Justice N Seshasayee passed the direction after slamming the State for acting secretively to convert J Jayalalithaa’s residence into a memorial. It also said the inventory of the movable articles inside the house was not done in the presence of Jaya’s legal heir’s, J Deepa and J Deepak.

Based on this, Justice Seshasayee said no one can enter the building during the ceremony. “You can open the gate and enter the campus during the inaugural ceremony but no one should enter the building. The participants should access only the garden,” the Judge said after Special Government Pleader N Manoharan submitted that inventory has already been done by the government.

. Further, Justice Seshasayee advised the government to make sure that only a limited number of people take part in the inaugural ceremony to avoid crowding. He also held that no flex boards should be erected near the venue.

The interim orders were passed on writ petitions filed by the former Chief Minister’s legal heirs J Deepa & J Deepak challenging the acquisition proceedings. The court also clarified that conducting the ceremony would not confer any right to the State over the ownership of the property, pending adjudication of the writ petitions filed by the legal heirs

Earlier, Advocate General Vijay Narayan appearing for the State submitted that the government was fully entitled to convert the residence into a memorial since it had been acquired in accordance with law after depositing a compensation of Rs 67.9 crore before the city civil court. He also cited instances of the houses of leaders being acquired to convert it into a memorial.

The counsels appearing for Deepa and Deepak held that the government cannot unilaterally acquire all immovable properties since the belongings of their grandmother is also inside the house.