Chennai: Brushing aside rumors that former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa was critically ill when the then acting Governor C.H. Vidyasagar Rao made a visit to the Apollo Hospital to meet her, Ramesh Chand Meena, the then principal secretary to him, informed the Justice Arumugasamy commission that she was responding to treatment in October 2016. The Governor saw Jayalalithaa showing ‘thumbs up’ sign, he informed the probe panel.
The senior IAS officer, now serving as the chairman and managing director of Tamil Nadu industrial development corporation limited, said that Jayalalithaa had shown thumbs up sign when the Governor visited her in ICU in the hospital on October 22, 2016. Earlier, he saw her in the hospital when she was undergoing treatment on October 1, 2016 . Jayalalithaa showed thumps up sign to him during the visit on October 22, he said.
Ramesh Chand Meena also recounted, “the Governor informed this to me, while we were returning to the Raj Bhavan in a car from the hospital. He was also happy that her health condition was improving and he hoped that she would gradually recuperate.”
Ramesh Chand Meena appeared before the commission on behalf of the then Governor and Raj Bhavan. However, Ramesh Chand Meena was not sure whether Governor saw her through glass doors or met her in the ICU.
He said considering sensitiveness of the situation regarding her health condition, press releases were issued highlighting only treatment provided to her and health condition. The press releases were issued in consultation with the government.
Among others Raj Prasanna, chief - physiotherapy & rehabilitation, Apollo hospital and Dr Vignesh appeared before the Commission.
