Chennai, Aug 18 (IANS): The Tamil Nadu government's announcement to hold a judicial probe into the death of J. Jayalalithaa is funny, said MGR Amma Deepa Peravai, a forum led by the late Chief Minister's niece.

"This is an attempt to fool the AIADMK cadres," the J. Deepa-led forum said in a statement late on Thursday.

It demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) instead of a commission headed by a retired High Court judge.

The forum said since the death of Jayalalithaa, 1.5 crore AIADMK cadres were demanding a probe into her death.

In order to protect the jailed AIADMK General Secretary V.K. Sasikala's family, Chief Minister K. Palaniswami did not come forward to set up an inquiry commission, the statement said.

It also condemned Palaniswami's announcement to convert Jayalalithaa's Poes Garden residence into a memorial as "autocratic", as it was done without getting the nod from blood relations of the late Chief Minister.

Deepa said she would take legal recourse against any such action because she has the legal right of claim over Jayalalithaa's residence.