Chennai, Dec 7 (IANS): The Madras High Court has directed the Income Tax department to include the legal heirs of the late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, J. Jayalalithaa in the wealth case registered against her.

A division bench of the Madras High Court comprising Justice R. Mahadevan and Justice Mohammed Shaiq on Monday granted two weeks' time to the Income Tax department to include J. Deepa and J. Deepak, the niece and nephew of the late Chief Minister, in the wealth tax case against her.

The I-T department had moved a petition challenging the decision of the income tax appellate tribunal in connection with the action taken by the I-T department for the recovery of wealth and Income tax arrears to the tune of over Rs 16 crore.

The Income Tax department had prayed before the court that the former Chief Minister's residence 'Veda Nilayam' and other properties have been attached in connection with the tax arrears.

The advocate for the Income Tax department informed the court that they were not able to ascertain the legal heirs of the late Chief Minister, but after the Madras High Court had announced J. Deepa and J. Deepak as her legal heirs, the department can add them as party respondents.

The court also directed the Income Tax department to ascertain whether any petition claiming legal heirship was pending in any court.