However, the other accused - N. Sasikala, V.N. Sudhakaran, and J. Elasvarasi - still have to wait for the verdict. On June 7, the Supreme Court had reserved its verdict in the case.
Conviction in the case and a four-year sentence imposed on her by a special court in Bangalore had forced Jayalalithaa to resign as chief minister but a single judge of Karnataka High Court, Justice C.R. Kumaraswamy, had on May 11, 2015, reversed the conviction of the four.
The Karnataka government appealed against the decision in the Supreme Court.
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Jayalalithaa had been convicted of accumulating assets worth over Rs 66 crore, disproportionate to her known sources of income, between 1991 and 1996.
Legal experts are of the view that there is no judicial precedent on what should happen if a person is dead when a judgment is reserved for pronouncement, and eventually the accused are held guilty.
Senior Supreme Court advocate Dushyant Dave, appointed special public prosecutor by the Karnataka government in the case, told The Telegraph the law is not clear on this aspect.
"Legally the case against Jaya abates as an individual. But as far as my knowledge is concerned, there is no judicial precedent which has laid down any law as to what would happen if a person is found guilty of corrupt practice. I think the state can always forfeit the ill-gotten money if the person is held guilty" Dave, said.
Another senior counsel Sushil Kumar agreed that the question whether the alleged ill-gotten money should be confiscated is a matter that has not cropped up before courts so far. He said the Karnataka government could file a formal application before the apex court for seizure of properties if the other co-accused are held guilty.