Chennai: The A. Arumughaswamy commission, probing the hospitalisation and demise of late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, on Thursday summoned Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam who had held Jayalalithaa’s portfolios during her hospitalisation.
The commission also asked the Health Minister Dr. C. Vijayabaskar to appear before it. Earlier, the panel had asked Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan to depose before it. Jayalalithaa was admitted to Apollo on September 22, 2016, and died on December 5, following 75 days of treatment.
According to sources, the commission has summoned Mr. Panneerselvam to appear before it on Dec. 20 while Vijayabaskar has been asked to appear on December 18.
Senior AIADMK leader C. Ponnaiyan and police officer Sudhakar, who was part of Jayalalithaa’s security team, have also been directed to appear on Dec. 18 and 20 respectively.
So far, the commission has inquired about 150 witnesses in connection with the death of Jayalalithaa and it is in the final stages of probe. The commission is likely to submit the final report on Feb. 24, to the government.
The one-man enquiry commission headed by retired judge of High Court Justice A. Arumughaswamy was appointed on Sept. 25, 2017, by Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaiswamy. The panel was constituted under the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952. Prior to this, both Mr. Palaniswami and Mr. Panneerselvam merged their factions and one of the preconditions for the merger laid down by Mr. Panneerselvam was the ordering of a probe into the hospitalisation and death of Jayalalithaa.
Since he raised the banner of revolt against V. K. Sasikala, now jailed in Bengaluru in the disproportionate assets case, Mr. Panneerselvam has been demanding a probe into the circumstances leading to the death of his party supremo. As the CM, Mr. Panneerselvam had remarked then that he could not meet her even once during her hospitalisation.
