Plea by woman claiming to be Jaya's daughter: HC directs TN govt to file counter

Chennai, Jan 5: The Madras High Court directed the Tamil Nadu government to file its counter on the maintainability of a petition by a woman claiming to be the biological daughter of late chief minister Jayalalithaa and seeking a DNA test to establish her parentage.

Giving the directive, Justice S Vaidyanathan posted the matter to February 3 for further hearing. In her petition, the woman sought a direction to exhume Jayalalithaa's body and enable her and her family to cremate it on the grounds that the chief minister was an Iyengar Brahmin. She also prayed the court to order a DNA test.

She had earlier moved the Supreme Court with the same prayer but the latter refused to entertain it. She had claimed that she was given in adoption to Jayalalithaa's sister and her husband.

The apex court, however, had said she was at liberty to approach the high court. Jayalalithaa died on December 5, 2016 after prolonged hospitalisation and her body was buried off the famous Marina Beach here. When the matter came up, Advocate General Vijay Narayan sought time to file the counter affidavit.

PTI