The Tamil Nadu state government, led by the ADMK party, has now become the owner of Veda Nilayam, the residence of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, in Poes Garden, Chennai. The Edappadi Palaniswami led government has made a deposit of Rs 67.9 crore in the city's civil court and the deposit package includes the pending income tax dues and compensation for Jayalalithaa's legal heirs J Deepa and J Deepak. 

The government has acquired the property three and a half years after the demise of the former Chief Minister and the property would also jointly owned by the Income Tax department. The major development has come when the state government has been eyeing to take possession of the deceased leader's house to convert it as the official residence of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and a museum in memory of the leader. 

The government has deposited the money and became the owner in the albeit of the High court's order of declaring Jayalalithaa's niece Deepa and nephew Deepak as the legal heirs of the property. According to the reports, the deposit package includes the pending tax dues to the Income Tax department kept by the former Chief Minister and after the IT department has claimed the outstanding dues, it would be ceased from being an owner, through which the government will completely be owning the palatial property. 

The development has come ten days after the state government asserted in the Madras High Court that the government has strongly been considering the court's suggestion of converting a portion of the Poes Garden residence into the official residence of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. Following the government's statement, Jayalalithaa's nephew Deepak has filed his petition to the High Court in which he stated that the state government has failed to take the objections over converting the property as a memorial into its consideration.

He further sought a directive from the High court to provide the keys of Veda Nilayam residence to him. Earlier on May 27, the Madras High court has declared Deepa and Deepak as the legal heirs of Jayalalithaa's residence and instructed the government to pay the compensation to the legal heirs to acquire the property. 

Following that, the government has now deposited Rs 67.9 crore in the city's civil court including the pending tax dues of Rs 36.9 crore and jointly taken the ownership along with the Income Tax department. The conversion of the residence has strongly been opposed by Deepak and Deepa and they are likely to challenge the government's move of acquiring the property and converting it as the Official residence of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. 

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