In Chennai, the Madras High Court moved to broaden a lawsuit that is challenging a tax recovery of more than ₹13 crore.
The court told J. Deepa, the niece and declared legal heir of former Chief Minister J. Jay Alithaa, to add her brother J. Deepak as a respondent in her petition. Justice C. Saravanan gave the deadline of 3 November to do so.
Why the change? An adviser from the Income Tax Department, A.P. Srinivas, reminded the judge that both siblings were legally recognized as Jay Alithaa’s heirs, yet Deepak had not objected to the recovery. The tax recovery officer had originally sought ₹36.56 crore in arrears from 1991‑92 to 2011‑12, but a revised order issued on 4 August cut the amount to ₹13.69 crore.
Ms. Deepa first filed a petition on 7 August 2025, arguing that the tax assessment of a deceased person is invalid and that she lacks the documents needed for the calculation. The court threw out her initial petition on 18 September, prompting a new writ against the lower figure.
During the hearing, counsel highlighted that Ms. Deepa had no contact with Jay Alithaa, became a legal heir in May 2020, and only received the Poes Garden property in December 2021. Moreover, no tax‑related papers were found in the inventory. The judge noted that Jay Alithaa’s accountant would have held the necessary records, but the accountant died during the COVID‑19 pandemic.
Justice Saravanan now asks the tax department’s counsel to take notice on behalf of the recovery officer, giving Mr. Deepak a chance to defend himself in the case.
Source: ianslive
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