Commission submits report on Jayalalithaa’s death; Tamil Nadu Cabinet to discuss

After examining as many as 154 witnesses, including former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, the Justice (retired) A Arumughaswamy Commission tasked with probing the circumstances that led to the hospitalisation and death of J Jayalalithaa on Saturday submitted its voluminous report to the Tamil Nadu government.

The report, which runs 500 pages in English and 608 pages in Tamil, will be placed before the Cabinet meeting scheduled on August 29, Chief Minister M K Stalin said after receiving it from justice Arumughaswamy at his chamber in the Secretariat here.

“The Commission examined 154 persons including politicians, bureaucrats, doctors, and others. The report contains detailed accounts of witnesses on the events relating to Jayalalithaa’s hospitalisation and her death. We have also covered the treatment provided to her and examined her health history,” justice Arumughaswamy told reporters.

Also Read: No errors found in treatment given to Jayalalithaa: AIIMS team

The submission of the report by the Commission, which was constituted in 2017, comes a week after a medical board consisting of doctors from the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) concluded that the treatment provided to Jayalalithaa was “as per correct medical practice” and no errors have been found in the care provided to her.

The Commission couldn’t function for over two years due to a case filed by Apollo Hospitals against its jurisdiction.

Jayalalithaa, who was wheeled into the Apollo Hospitals here on September 22, 2016, passed away on December 5 following a cardiac arrest the previous day. The former CM’s death triggered a massive controversy with her own party colleagues – notably Panneerselvam – casting doubts on the treatment given to her, hinting a foul play, and pointing to the role of V K Sasikala.

The constitution of the Commission was more political than to dispel any doubts as this was the key demand of Panneerselvam to merge his faction led by Edappadi K Palaniswami. After dodging the commission for years, Panneerselvam finally appeared before justice Arumughaswamy in March this year and said he had no suspicion “personally” over the death of the AIADMK supremo and that he was only “reflecting” public sentiments.

In his deposition, Panneerselvam also said neither V K Sasikala nor her family members plotted against the former multi-term Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. While Panneerselvam, the then Health Minister C Vijayabhaskar, and Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan were deposed before the commission, Sasikala chose to submit her response.

In her voluminous response, Sasikala narrated her side of the story and how Jayalalithaa’s conviction by a Bengaluru court in 2014 triggered a host of health issues for the former chief minister.

Jayalalithaa’s death is one of the most politicised issues in Tamil Nadu in the past few years with DMK also demanding a “fair probe” into the AIADMK leader’s demise. The DMK also raked up Jayalalithaa’s death in the run-up to the polls and at one time, the party also demanded a CBI probe.