Jayalalithaa Death: Panel Holds Aide Sasikala Guilty, Recommends Probe
The Justice A Arumughaswamy Commission of inquiry, which probed the circumstances leading to the death of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa in 2016, in its concluding remarks said her aide VK Sasikala “have to be found fault with and investigation is to be ordered”.
On Tuesday, the Tamil Nadu government tabled in the assembly the reports of separate commissions of inquiry that looked into the circumstances surrounding the death of Jayalalithaa and the 2018 police firing at Thoothukudi in the state. The panel also has named others along with Sasikala.
The Justice Aruna Jagadeesan Commission of inquiry, which probed the 2018 police firing at Thoothukudi on anti-Sterlite protesters -that claimed 13 lives – has blamed the police authorities.
Earlier, the commission submitted its report to chief minister MK Stalin on August 27 stating the circumstances surrounding the former All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) supremo’s hospitalisation.
The report recommended that the DMK-led government must probe Sasikala, former chief secretary Rama Mohana Rao, former health minister C Vijayabaskar and a few others.
The state cabinet discussed the 600-page report and decided that they will consult legal experts regarding the recommendations.
The DMK had promised in its election manifesto that they will “bring out the truth” surrounding Jayalalithaa’s death.
Jayalalithaa was admitted to Chennai’s Apollo Hospitals on September 22, 2016 and was treated there for 75 days till she passed away on December 5 that year.
However, AIIMS’ three-page report delves deeper into a sequence of events found by the panel, which details out the treatment she had received before her admission and until her death.
The Supreme Court, on November 30, 2021, agreed to Apollo Hospital’s plea to direct the AIIMS to constitute a medical board to assist the Arumughaswamy commission.
Following allegations of mystery shrouding her hospitalisation and subsequent death, the then AIADMK government formed the commission as part of a deal negotiated by AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam before his merger with Edappadi Palaniswami in 2017.
The Arumughaswamy commission constituted in 2017 got another extension for its tenure until August 24.
On August 20, the AIIMS medical board concluded that Jayalalithaa was given the correct medical treatment and there were no errors in the medical attention she received.