Former Chief Minister and AIADMK party coordinator O Paneerselvam, appearing before the Arumugasamy commission probing the death of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, said that he was not aware of the reason for which she was admitted to the hospital. He appeared before the commission on Monday, March 21, along with J Ilavarasi, sister-in-law of VK Sasikala. According to reports in Puthiya Thalaimurai news channel, as many as 78 questions were asked to Paneerselvam. Further enquiry is to be conducted on Tuesday, March 22.
Paneerselvam had also said that he was not aware of any other health conditions of Jayalalithaa, except that she had diabetes, and added that he got updates about her health condition only through the then Health Minister of Tamil Nadu C Vijaybhaskar. Paneerselvam has also stated that he had not asked to “remove the CCTV cameras” in the hospital.
Paneerselvam also claimed that all his interviews from ‘dharma yuddham’ (to oust Sasikala frmo the AIADMK) till he took charge as the Deputy CM were all true. All the decisions, including where the treatment should be taken, were taken by the then Health Minister C Vijayabhaskar, Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan and the then Chief Secretary Ram Mohan Rao, OPS said.
In her recorded statement earlier in the day, Ilavarasi had said that she was able to see Jayalalithaa through a glass only once or twice. Apart from deposing before the judge and the Commission, Paneerselvam is also likely to be cross-examined by lawyers representing VK Sasikala on Tuesday. Of the 142 witnesses so far, 135 were summoned as Commission Witnesses and seven were summoned after they submitted petitions.
In the past, AIADMK leader OPS was summoned by the commission several times but he skipped the meetings citing heavy workload. In 2019, Panneerselvam, then Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, informed the legislative house that he would “speak the truth” before the commission. Doctors of Apollo Hospitals, where Jayalalithaa was under treatment, were also summoned by the commission after it resumed proceedings after three years.
The commission resumed its inquiry on March 7 after nearly three years with a panel of doctors from AIIMS, New Delhi joining the inquiry through video conferencing. Ten doctors and one technical assistant from Apollo Hospitals have already deposed before the Arumugasamy Commission. The commission is likely to submit its report soon after the last leg of inquiry which is currently taking place. The commission headed by Retd Justice Arumugasamy was constituted by the Tamil Nadu government in September 2017.
The Supreme Court had stayed the proceedings of the commission on April 26, 2019, after the Apollo Hospitals, where the late Chief Minister spent her last days, had filed a petition challenging the scope of the inquiry. After the stay was vacated, the commission resumed its inquiry on March 7.
After the commission resumed sitting, the lawyer representing VK Sasikala, Raja Senthoor Pandian said that former Health Minister Vijayabhaskar and Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan must be called for deposition. The advocate said that both Vijayabhaskar and Radhakrishnan were in the know of all the treatments given to the late Chief Minister.
Jayalalithaa was admitted to Chennai’s Apollo Hospital on September 22, 2016. She had passed away on December 5 after a prolonged period of hospitalisation after suffering a cardiac arrest on the previous day. In December last year, the Supreme Court directed the constitution of a medical board to assist the Commission of Inquiry set up to probe Jayalalithaa’s death.
A bench comprising Justice SA Nazeer and Justice Krishna Murari asked the Director, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, to nominate a panel of doctors and specialists in the fields of treatment of the ailments as suffered by Jayalalithaa.
"We are also of the view that it is just and proper to constitute a medical board to assist the commission in the disposal of the case. Needless to say that the Commission has to furnish the said medical board, so constituted, with complete records of the proceedings. The medical board, so appointed, is permitted to participate in all further proceedings of the commission and furnish a copy of the report to the commission," the bench had said.
Initially, it was Panneerselvam, who as the then Chief Minister, first proposed the idea of a judicial inquiry into the death of Jayalalithaa, on February 8, 2017, a day after proclaiming “Dharma Yuddham,” after meditating at Marina Beach. This came to an end on August 17 after the then CM Edappadi K Palaniswami’s announcement about appointing a Commission of Inquiry.
Panneerselvam placed several allegations, including that he was not allowed to meet Jayalalithaa during her 75-day hospitalisation period and that he had asked Apollo Hospital to take the CM abroad for treatment amidst others.
According to reports, the commission intends to question Panneerselvam on three issues — the suspicions he raised, his constant presence at the hospital and the positions he held, including the portfolios of Jayalalithaa, during the former CM’s hospitalisation.
It is to be noted that in Sasikala’s affidavit before the commission, she had mentioned that when Jayalalithaa was once wheeled out for a diagnostic test, Panneerselvam was among those standing nearby.
(With IANS inputs)