Court told claimant to Jayalalithaa estate has died

The Madras High Court has been told that N.J. Vasudevan, who claimed to be a half-brother of former Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa, died in Mysuru on June 2, 2026.

Vasudevan, aged 86, had filed a case in 2023 seeking half of the properties left by Jayalalithaa. His lawyer informed a Division Bench of Justices Abdul Quddhose and R. Rajesh Vivekananthan of the reported death and produced a news report.

The judges directed the High Court Registry to verify the information. The registry was also told to send notice to Vasudevan’s address in Mysuru to establish whether anyone else wished to be substituted as the applicant and continue the proceedings. The case was adjourned until November 5, 2026.

Vasudevan had asked the court to revoke a 2020 order that recognised Jayalalithaa’s niece, J. Deepa, and nephew, J. Deepak, as inheritors of her properties.

He claimed that he had been born to the first wife of Jayalalithaa’s father and therefore had a right to half the estate. He also said his mother had sought maintenance from Jayalalithaa’s father in 1950. Vasudevan argued that Deepa should have included him in the earlier inheritance proceedings and said he had written to her after Jayalalithaa’s death.

The 2020 ruling held that Deepa and Deepak were entitled to Jayalalithaa’s self-acquired properties and assets inherited from her parents. The court relied on provisions of the Hindu Succession Act, including those covering the inheritance rights of children of a predeceased sibling. The ruling also included Veda Nilayam, Jayalalithaa’s former residence in Chennai, which she had inherited through her mother’s will.