Justice Vaidyanathan of the Madras High Court who is currently entertaining a petition filed by Amrutha Sarathy, claiming to be former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s daughter, is now questioning why Amrutha has never asked to establish legality of Sobhan Babu being her father. The Court observed on Friday that according to Amrutha, Sobhan Babu is her father.
In the 1970s, it was widely rumoured that then actors Jayalalithaa and Sobhan Babu had been romantically involved.
To the Court’s question, Amrutha’s counsel did not give a direct reply. They simply said that it was only in March, three months after Jayalalithaa’s demise, that it was revealed to Amrutha that she was, in fact, Jayalalithaa’s daughter.
The Court has also asked the government if there are blood samples of Jayalalithaa from her period of hospitalisation at Apollo Hospitals between September and December 2016, which can be used for a DNA test to establish maternity. This came just a day questioning after the Judge had asked the government why a DNA test could not be conducted in the case.
However, Justice Vaidyanathan also made it clear that the maintainability of Amrutha’s petition itself is yet to be argued. He warned that this could open a pandora’s box and asked if it was possible to entertain such DNA testing of anyone laying claim to Jayalalithaa's maternity. The Judge said that the acceptance of the plea would set a dangerous precedent. He said, "It will result in opening of the pandora's box, which will only lead to more deterioration of the privacy of the deceased Late Ms.J.Jayalalalitha."
Hailing from Bengaluru, Amrutha Sarathy, 37, has petitioned the Madras HC requesting a DNA test to be conducted in order to establish that Jayalalithaa was her mother as well as to cremate Jayalalithaa’s body as per Brahminical rituals. Earlier in November, the Supreme Court had refused to hear a similar petition filed by her and directed her to approach the Karnataka HC.
However, Amrutha sought and received permission to shift the case to Madras HC as Jayalalithaa had lived and died in Tamil Nadu.
The Madras HC has made the niece and nephew of Jayalalithaa, Deepa Jayakumar and Deepak Jayakumar, respondents in the case. The Court has also issued notices to the Chennai Corporation and the government.