The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday told the Madras High Court that former state chief minister J Jayalalithaa was never pregnant in her lifetime. As part of their argument, the state’s counsel also submitted video clips of the late AIADMK leader dating back to 1980s, including footage from Filmfare Awards show.

The submission was made by Tamil Nadu’s advocate general Vijay Narayan before the High Court, which is hearing a petition filed by one Amrutha of Bengaluru, who has claimed that she is the biological daughter of the late chief minister. Narayan argued that the petitioner intended to “take over” the properties left by the former AIADMK leader, Hindustan Times reported. 

Questioning Amrutha’s claim, Narayan reportedly asked her why she had not taken a picture with Jayalalithaa during her life time. In her petition, Amrutha has claimed that she was born in August 1980. However, Narayan presented before the court a video clip of the 27th Filmfare Awards show, which was attended by Jayalalithaa, and which had taken place just a month before Amruta’s birth. 

The advocate general argued that as seen in the video clip of the awards show, Jayalalithaa did not appear to show any signs of an advanced stage of pregnancy. “This was filmed just a month before the birth of Amrutha and the court can see that there are no signs of pregnancy,” Narayan told the court, HT reported. 

Amrutha, who claims that she was born to Jayalalithaa and given up for adoption, has also sought the court’s direction to order an exhumation of Jayalalithaa’s body, so that she could cremate her as per Brahmin rituals.  She has also asked the court to order for a DNA test, in order to ascertain her parentage, PTI reported. 

Meanwhile, Narayan said that as there were other relatives of Jayalalithaa, a DNA test of their samples could be done to determine Amrutha’s parentage, if required. The matter was posted for further hearing next week by Justice Vaidyanathan, who is hearing the petition. 

Amrutha had filed the petition months after Jayalalithaa’s demise on December 5, 2016, stating that the truth of her birth mother was revealed to her by her foster father just before the AIADMK’s death. She had initially approached the Supreme Court with her petition but was ordered to move the High Court instead. Jayalalithaa died on December 5, 2016 in a Chennai hospital after a prolonged illness, and was later buried at the Marina Beach in the city.