Jayalalithaa was admitted to Apollo Hospital 75 days before her death in 2016. (file)
Chennai:
The Justice Arumughaswamy Commission, set up to inquire into the circumstances of the death of late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, submitted its report to the state government on Saturday.
Justice Arumughaswamy, who later spoke to reporters, said the 500-page report in English and about 600 pages in Tamil was prepared after hearing about 150 witnesses.
“Only the government can decide to publish the report,” he said, adding that all relevant aspects have been mentioned in the report and that it was “satisfactory” for him.
Many felt that the commission “acted like a court,” he said.
Those who made statements before the commission include top AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam, Jayalalithaa’s niece Deepa and nephew Deepak, doctors, top officials and AIADMK KC Vijayabaskar (former health minister), M Thambi Durai, C Ponnaiyan and Manoj Pandian.
Deepa and Deepak had expressed doubts about the circumstances of their aunt’s death. The late chief minister’s confidante VK Sasikala had filed an affidavit in 2018 through her lawyer.
The Arumughaswamy Commission of Inquiry, set up by the previous AIADMK government, started its hearing on November 22, 2017. Justice Arumughaswamy is a retired judge of the Madras High Court.
Sasikala’s affidavit pertained to the circumstances surrounding Jayalalithaa’s hospitalization, among other things. The late Chief Minister was admitted to Apollo Hospital for 75 days before his death on December 5, 2016.
During the recent proceedings, doctors from Apollo Hospital briefed a medical board of experts from AIIMS-Delhi through video-conferencing about the treatment provided to Jayalalithaa.
The AIIMS Panel virtually participated in the proceedings to help the Commission handle the medical aspects as directed by the Supreme Court.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)