On Saturday, the Justice Arumughaswamy Commission, which was established to look into the circumstances surrounding the death of late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, handed over its final report to the state legislature.
After speaking with approximately 150 witnesses, Justice Arumughaswamy said the report’s 500 or so pages in English and 600 or so pages in Tamil were prepared.
“Only the government can decide on publishing the report,” he said, adding that all relevant factors have been covered in the report. He described the experience as “satisfying.”
He added that many people thought the commission “worked like a court.”
Top AIADMK leaders O Panneerselvam, Deepa and Deepak, niece and nephew of Jayalalithaa, doctors, high-ranking government officials, and AIADMK members C Vijayabaskar (former health minister), M Thambi Durai, C Ponnaiyan, and Manoj Pandian are among the witnesses who have testified before the commission.
Regarding the circumstances surrounding their aunt’s death, Deepa and Deepak had expressed concerns. In 2018, V K Sasikala, the late Chief Minister’s confidante, submitted an affidavit via her attorney.
On November 22, 2017, the Arumughaswamy Commission of Inquiry, established by the previous AIADMK administration, began hearings. Justice Arumughaswamy served as a Madras High Court judge before retiring.
Sasikala’s affidavit covered a variety of topics, including what led to Jayalalithaa’s hospitalisation. Prior to her passing on December 5, 2016, the late Chief Minister spent 75 days in an Apollo Hospitals bed.
A medical board of experts from AIIMS-Delhi was recently briefed by physicians from Apollo Hospitals via video conference on the care given to Jayalalithaa.
To assist the Commission in handling medical issues in accordance with the Supreme Court’s directive, the AIIMS panel participated in the proceedings virtually.
