Chennai: The counsel for VK Sasikala has demanded that the Justice A Arumughaswamy commission, probing the hospitalisation and death of the former Chief Minister late J Jayalalithaa, summon ministers Dindigul C. Sreenivasan, P.Thangamani, D. Jayakumar and C.Ve. Shanmugam and DMK President MK Stalin to depose in connection with the probe.
Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam has been summoned to depose before the commission on Wednesday.
Speaking to media persons after appearing before the Commission, N.Rajasenthoor Pandian, counsel for V.K. Sasikala, on Tuesday said that they had made various allegations relating to treatment provided to Jayalalithaa at the Apollo hospital and hence must appear before the Commission. Regarding this we will approach the Commission, he said. He also sought the appearance of Dr Richard Beale, the UK based doctor who treated Jaya.
The counsel, who cross examined AIADMK MP M. Thambidurai on Tuesday, said that Thambidurai, who is also Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker, met Dr Richard Beale in London on March 29, 2018. When the counsel asked Thambidurai about the reason for the meeting, the Deputy Speaker replied that he was indisposed and Beale referred him to meet another doctor. Beale reportedly told Thambidurai that he was sorry for the demise of Jaya. The counsel said Thambidurai refused to reply to various questions posed by him during the three hour long cross-examination.
It may be noted that on Monday, Health Minister C Vijayabaskar had said that a cabinet meeting was held on October 19, 2016 to discuss the health condition of Jayalalithaa. He made the statement contrary to the claims made by Law Minister C Ve Shanmugam, who had stated that no cabinet meeting had been held during her 75-day long hospitalisation.
The minister informed this before Justice Arumughaswamy Commission. After recording C Vijayabaskar's statement, Raja Senthoor Pandian said that Vijayabaskar's version of events concurred with what Health Secretary Radhakrishnan and the then Chief Secretary Rama Mohan Rao had deposed. He said that contrary to what C Ve Shanmugam had claimed about a cabinet meeting not held during the time Jayalalithaa was hospitalised, Vijayabaskar concurred with the former Chief Secretary's version. The cabinet on October 19, 2016, passed a resolution praying for speedy recovery of CM.
