CHENNAI: The Arumugasamy commission, which has been inquiring into the death of late chief minister J Jayalalithaa, on Friday summoned deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam, health minister C Vijayabaskar, Dr Richard Beale, the UK based doctor who treated Jayalalithaa, and Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M Thambidurai to appear before it.
According to sources, the probe panel headed by retired Madras High Court judge Arumughaswamy has summoned Panneerselvam to appear before it on January 8 and Vijayabaskar has been summoned for an appearance on January 7. Dr Beale has been asked by the panel to depose before it on January 9 while Thambidurai has been summoned by the commission on January 11.
The former chief minister J Jayalalithaa was hospitalised in Apollo hospitals on September 22, 2016. After undergoing treatment for 75 days she was declared dead on December 5, 2016.
Subsequently, on September 25, 2017, the Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaiswamy appointed retired High Court Arumughaswamy commission to an inquiry into the circumstances that led to the death of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa.So far, more than 100 witnesses, including Jayalalithaa's aides, doctors and paramedical staff of Apollo Hospitals, political party leaders, Jayalalithaa’s relatives, bureaucrats and police officials, have been questioned by the commission.