When the court evaluated Jaya's 1Kg waist belt with 2,389 diamonds,18 emeralds & 9 rubies

This was the wedding that became the basis of the disproportionate assets case.

Bengaluru, Feb 17: To cover the Jayalalithaa disproportionate assets case in Bengaluru, several journalists from Chennai had come down. Over a cup of tea and a cigarette, us fellow journalists have had many discussions about the case. After all, it was the journalists from Chennai who began covering the case first before the Supreme Court transferred it to Bengaluru.

Among the many stories that were shared, the one which caught my attention the most was the day the assets belonging to one of the most powerful politicians in the country was brought down to the court for assessment. Most prominent among the assets evaluated by the court was the 1,044 gram (a little more than a kg) waist belt with 2,389 diamonds, 18 emeralds and 9 rubies.

Known as an ottiyanam, one must recall it being worn by both Jayalalithaa and Sasikala during the wedding of Sudhakaran in 1995. This was the wedding that became the basis of the disproportionate assets case as the obscene amount of wealth amassed by Jayalalithaa and Sasikala was out there on display.

Journalists recalled, "In February 2000, the special court housed in the Chennai collectorate building was bustling with activity. The presiding judge Sambandham was in court and everyone was excited as the three boxes of jewellery belonging to Jayalalithaa was to be brought to court."

There were three suitcases of gold, but what caught everyone's attention was the waist belt or odiyanam. There was only one as the investigators were not able to find the other waist belt. The belt was enough to show the amount of wealth that had been amassed. Another interesting fact is that it took the court nearly three days to valuate just the gold.

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