CHENNAI : With the State government granting approval to set up a medical expert team, Arumugasamy Commission inquiring into the death of the late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa is to set up a four-member doctors’ team to scrutinise the documents submitted by Apollo Hospitals. According to official sources, the commission headed by retired Madras High Court Judge Justice Arumugasamy had sought the State government’s approval to form a medical expert team to examine the treatments and medical documents related to Jayalalithaa’s death.
“The commission will now pick four medical experts of its own choice and they will be assigned the job of simplifying the details of medical treatments provided to the late Chief Minister. The doctors will also be asked to assist the commission to verify the statements of doctors who treated Jayalalalithaa with the medical records,” said official sources.
On September 22, 2016, Jayalalithaa was admitted in Apollo Hospitals after she suffered from fever and dehydration. She underwent treatment in the hospital for more than two months and died on December 5.
After the State government set up a probe panel to investigate the circumstances leading to Jayalalithaa’s hospitalisation and death a few months ago, Apollo Hospitals submitted copies of her treatment and health records, including medical tests conducted on her.
The examination of a huge volume of medical records is expected to be crucial in the inquiry commission as it will unravel the circumstances that led to Jayalalithaa’s death. If required, the commission may also summon the doctors to get more specific information on the health condition, added sources.
Retired IAS officer, 2 others depose before committeeRetired IAS officer Santha Sheela Nair and two others deposed before the Arumugasamy Commission inquiring into the death of the late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.
After her retirement, she had worked as Officer on Special Duty at the Secretariat during Jayalalithaa’s regime. Deposing before the commission, she recorded her statements on Jayalalithaa.
Indian Overseas Bank employee Leela Selvakumari and former minister Anoor Jagadeesan also deposed before the commission.Sasikala’s counsel cross-examined her assistant Karthikeyan. Earlier, the commission had summoned former Tamil Nadu DGP K Ramanujam, DGP of Tamil Nadu Uniformed Services Recruitment Board J K Tripathy, Additional Director General of Police Amresh Pujari and Inspector-General of Police P Thamaraikannan to appear for cross-examination.
However, they did not appear as Sasikala’s counsel dropped the plea to cross-examine the former and current top officers. N Raja Senthoor Pandian, who is representing Sasikala before the commission, told reporters that they did not wish to cross-examine the police officers since their statements recorded with the commission did not have contradicting facts.