J. Jayalalithaa passed away in 2016 after being admitted to a prestigious Chennai hospital, and a retired judge ruled that her death merited further investigation in a lengthy report that criticised at least one senior government official and VK Sasikala, the close assistant of the politician who shared her residence.
When Ms. Jayalalithaa’s party, the AIADMK, ruled Tamil Nadu in 2017, a commission of inquiry headed by former Madras High Court judge A Arumughaswamy was established to sort through legal claims, conflicting accounts of Ms. Jayalalithaa’s illness and treatment at Apollo Hospital, and conspiracy theories.
The DMK maintained its election vow to make sure the circumstances leading to Ms. Jayalalithaa’s death was thoroughly examined when it assumed control of the state in 2021.
The administration presented the report to the Tamil Nadu assembly today. It claims that Chief Secretary Dr. Rama Mohana Rao, the top official at the time of Ms. Jayalalithaa’s death, committed crimes. The study also accuses former Health Minister Vijaya Baskar of making misleading comments about Ms. Jayalalithaa’s condition and Apollo Chairman Dr. Pratap Reddy.
Ms. Jayalalithaa served as chief minister of Tamil Nadu for four times, making her one of the state’s most prominent and powerful figures. She was a former actress who was cherished by the AIADMK cadre as Tamil Nadu’s ‘Amma,’ but in the latter half of her career, she was plagued by corruption rumours.
VK Sasikala, her closest assistant, resided with her for many years. After Jayalalithaa passed away in 2017 as a result of her conviction in the disproportionate assets case, in which Ms. Jayalalithaa was the main accused, Sasikala was detained on corruption-related allegations. Four years after her release from a nearby prison in Karnataka, Sasikala tried unsuccessfully to take over the AIADMK.
O Panneerselvam, the head of the AIADMK, Ms. 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 testified for the committee. Following a video conference with experts from Delhi’s AIIMS, who had been invited by the Supreme Court to look into the matter, doctors from Apollo Hospital testified about the care they received.
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