Even as the probe into former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s death has been ongoing for nearly a year, the latest to depose before the one man commission is Inspector General of Police (Intelligence) KN Sathyamoorthy.
According to a report in the Times of India, the Intelligence Chief reportedly said, “The entire second floor of Apollo Hospitals where former chief minister J Jayalalithaa was admitted was under the watch of intelligence department, but I don’t know the details of who saw her and who didn’t.”
According to the newspaper, he said he was also not in the know about Jayalalithaa's health issues prior to being taken to the hospital. Sathyamoorthy, who commands the Chief Minister's security, also reportedly said that there was no daily intelligence bulletin issued during her stay.
With little information released to the public during her 75 day hospitalisation of the late Chief Minister, several people have reportedly given contradicting details to the probe commission lead by retired Justice Arumughaswamy.
According to a report in The Hindu, Sathyamoorthy reportedly admitted that he was unaware of who gave orders to switch off the CCTV cameras at Apollo Hospital where Jayalalithaa was admitted, a move that had fuelled widespread speculation across the state. The newspaper also reports that while the top cop himself never met Jayalalithaa, his team did not maintain a list of who had visited the ailing AIADMK leader. Further, he reportedly said that Jayalalithaa's ambulance was not provided with an escort on September 22 since he did not know of her health issues beforehand.
Also under the agenda of the Commission was the probe team’s tentative visit to Apollo Hospitals. The hospital has reportedly objected to Jayalalithaa's close aide Sasikala's legal team and the press entering its premises.
The Commission is currently operating on the second extension provided to it by the state government. The commission was to submit its report in December last year but had sought a six-month extension. When this expired, it sought another extension. The commission has been granted a four month extension to complete its investigation into the hospitalization and subsequent death of late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.