Jayalalithaa death: Arumughaswamy Commission calls for probe against Sasikala, Ex-TN Minister Vijayabaskar

The Justice Arumugasamy Commission of inquiry probing the death of former Tamil Nadu CM and AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa, has tabled its inquiry report in the Tamil Nadu assembly on Tuesday. The report found lapses and ordered an inquiry on former AIADMK general secretary Sasikala, former Health Minister Vijayabaskar and former Health Secretary Radhakrishnan, and doctor Sivakumar for Jayalalithaa's death.

Earlier, the panel submitted the report to Chief Minister MK Stalin. The state government formed the committee to investigate the late Chief Minister's hospitalization from September 22, 2016.

The DMK maintained its election promise to make sure the circumstances leading to Jayalalithaa's death were thoroughly examined when it assumed control of the state in 2021. The report of Justice Arumughaswamy was distributed to the government in August.

The administration presented the report to the Tamil Nadu parliament today. According to it, Chief Secretary Dr. Rama Mohana Rao, the top bureaucrat at the time of Jayalalithaa's death, committed crimes. The study also accuses former Health Minister Vijaya Baskar and Apollo Chairman Dr. Pratap Reddy of making misleading comments about Jayalalithaa's condition.

One of Tamil Nadu's most charismatic and influential leaders, Jayalalithaa, held the position of Chief Minister for four terms. She was a former actress who was adored by the AIADMK cadre as Tamil Nadu's "Amma," but in the later half of her career, she was dogged by suspicions of corruption.

VK Sasikala, her closest assistant, resided with her for many years. Sasikala was detained on corruption-related allegations in 2017, after Jayalalithaa had passed away as a result of her conviction in the disproportionate assets case, in which Jayalalithaa was the main defendant. Four years after her release from a nearby prison in Karnataka, Sasikala tried unsuccessfully to take over the AIADMK.

Top AIADMK official O Panneerselvam, Jayalalithaa's niece Deepa and nephew Deepak, who claimed the politician passed away inexplicably, and Sasikala, who submitted a written statement, are among the witnesses who gave testimony to the committee. Doctors from Apollo Hospital gave testimony on the care they received after video conferencing with experts from Delhi's AIIMS, who were asked by the Supreme Court to look into the situation.