Rs 100 cr fine can be adjusted from Jaya's attached properties

Former chief minister of Tamil Nadu, J Jayalalitha, may not have to pay the staggering fine of Rs 100 crore imposed on her by a special court for amassing illegal wealth, a lawyer representing the prosecution has said, quoting the judgment.  The fine could be adjusted from her properties which have been attached by the prosecution. But if the value of the attached properties is less than the fine, the Tamil Nadu government will have to recover the remaining sum by auctioning or selling the 3,000 acres of farmland said to have been acquired by Jayalalitha through illegal means, according to Murugesh S Maradi, the lawyer assisting Special Public Prosecutor G Bhavani Singh in the case. The judgment by Special Court judge Michael John Cunha on September 27,2014, directing the Tamil Nadu government to collect the fine is unlikely to burden Jayalalitha in any way, except that she may lose the properties that were disproportionate to her known sources of income. The court observed that the land registered in the name of Ramraj Agro Mills Ltd, Indo-Doha Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals, Signora Enterprises, Meadow Agro Farms Pvt Ltd, Lex Properties Pvt Ltd and Riverway Agro Products and the 3,000 acres at Kodanad, Kerala, were purchased at a throwaway price. These firms had claimed they were in no way connected with the former chief minister and their property should not be attached, but the special court dismissed their petition. With real estate prices skyrocketing, Jayalalitha may not have to worry about paying the fine. But not paying the fine may put Jayalalitha and others at a disadvantage as higher courts can refuse to hear their appeals. Appellants have to produce the receipt of the fine paid as done in the case of negotiable instruments. "This question will be raised during the hearing on appeals. However, it is up to the court to decide. The accused may refer to the attached properties valued at Rs 53 crore and seek certain relief,” said Maradi. AIADMK leaders, are said to be planning to raise donations to help her pay the fine.