Amrutha's claim: File counter affidavit before January 25, says HC to Tamil Nadu

Chennai: The Madras high court has directed the state government to file its counter affidavit before January 25, on merits and on the maintainability of a petition filed by Amrutha, who claimed that she is the daughter of former chief minister late J. Jayalalithaa.

Posting the matter to February 3, Justice S.Vaidyanathan said reply, if any shall be filed before February 2.

In her petition, Amrutha sought a direction to the state government to permit the family members of Jayalalithaa to cremate her body as per the rites, rituals, customs of Vaishnava Iyengar Brahmin Community, to which Jayalalithaa belonged to within a time frame to be fixed by the court with due police protection to her and her family members at the time of cremation.

When the petition came up for hearing on Friday, advocate general Vijay Narayan sought time to file counter affidavit.

When P.A.Joseph requested the court to implead himself in the case, senior counsel V.Prakash, appearing for Amrutha strongly opposed the same and said this was purely a private family matter.

After Samy Chinnapillai and G.Dhandapani, counsel for Deepa Jayakumar and Deepak Jayakumar respectively took notice, the judge said senior counsel V.Prakash appearing for the petitioner strongly objected to the impleading petition filed by one P.A.Joseph, party-in-person, on the ground that he was a third party, apart from stating that the latter has not even served a paper on him to rebut the points raised in the said impleading petition. “At the request of the counsel appearing for Deepa and Deepak and advocate general, Registry is directed to list this matter on February 3 (Saturday) after obtaining necessary orders from the Chief Justice. In the meantime, parties are directed to exchange the pleadings, to enable them to submit their objections”, the judge added.