The one-man commission probing the circumstances that led to former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s hospitalisation and death has completed its hearing, more than four-and-a-half years after it was constituted and its tenure having been extended several times.
Justice (retd.) A. Arumughaswamy will submit his report by June 24 when the commission’s tenure ends. A source at the commission said Mr. Arumughaswamy will begin preparing his final report on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, former AIADMK spokesperson Pugazhenthi deposed before the commission.
The commission was constituted following the demand of former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, who claimed that there were doubts in the minds of people about Jayalalithaa’s death. Mr. Panneerselvam was among the final few witnesses to depose before the commission last month. He submitted that personally he did not have any doubt about the former Chief Minister’s death and he was satisfied with the treatment given by Apollo Hospitals. Mr. Panneerselvam also gave a clean chit to Jayalalithaa’s confidante V.K. Sasikala, with whom he had fallen out.
More than 150 witnesses deposed before the commission. Among them were Jayalalithaa’s security officers and relatives, including her niece J. Deepa and nephew J. Deepak; Sasikala’s relatives; the then Health Minister, C. Vijayabhaskar; Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan; and Apollo Hospital doctors and technicians.
