She doesn’t deserve this: Jayalalithaa's brother N J Vasudevan

Mysore: Despite being disowned by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, her elder brother N.J. Vasudevan expressed shock on Saturday over the conviction and sentencing of Ms Jayalalithaa by a special court in Bengaluru in the 18-year-old disproportionate assets case. Living in a tiny village of Sri Rangarajapura, 40 km from T. Narasipur taluk of Mysore district, 78-year-old Vasudevan was glued to the television set from morning, watching developments in the corruption case.

When Deccan Chronicle visited his residence, Mr Vasudevan was seen praying for the acquittal of Ms Jayalalithaa. “She didn’t deserve this. Though we don’t enjoy the cordial relationship of a brother and sister, I was happy seeing her good work in Tamil Nadu, which earned her the name Amma. But everyone has to respect the court verdict and the rule of law is the same for everyone. Definitely, it’s a setback for her political career,” he said.

Mr Vasudevan is Ms Jayalalithaa’s stepbrother. Their father married Jayamma, Mr Vasudevan’s mother, and Sandhya, Ms Jayalalithaa’s mother. Ms Jayalalithaa has two siblings, Ms Shailaja and Mr Jayakumar.

Ms Shailaja lives in Bengaluru, while the whereabouts of Mr Jayakumar are not known. Mr Vasudevan’s grandfather N. Rangachar was a Mysore palace doctor during the reign of Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV. Though Mr Vasudevan and Ms Shailaja tried to build bridges with her, Ms Jayalalithaa refused to entertain them. When they went public with their relationship, Ms Jayalalithaa filed a defamation case against them in a Madras sessions court.

Mr Vasudevan is a heart patient and has been living on a meagre Rs 400 monthly pension given by the Karnataka government. He lost his son in an accident and his wife also died a few years ago. He lives in a tiny house alone and is helped by local villagers.