Jayalalithaa's death: Apollo tells Supreme Court it doesn't trust Arumugasamy panel probe

In a major development in connection with J Jayalalithaa's death, the Apollo Hospitals administration in Chennai on Tuesday reportedly told the Supreme Court that their doctors skipped summons by the Justice (retired) A Arumugasamy Commission as they do not trust the way it functions. As per reports, the hearing was part of the case filed by Apollo challenging the commission instituted by the CM Edappadi K Palaniswami in September 2017.

The Commission was earlier asked to investigate the death of late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. The Apollo management on Tuesday also reportedly said that CCTV cameras were removed from the hospital during the tenure of the then AIADMK government.  

The Commission led by Justice A Arumughaswamy (Retd) was set up in September 2017 by the Tamil Nadu government. On April 26, 2019, the Apex court had stayed the Commission of Inquiry's proceedings on a petition by Apollo Hospital questioning the scope of inquiry. However, the Commission itself exists and got its seventh extension earlier this year. The Arumughaswamy Commission is investigating the situations leading to the AIADMK leader's hospitalisation at Chennai's Apollo Hospital and over 70 days of treatment before her death on December 5, 2016.

Speculation over Jayalalithaa's death

J Jayalalithaa, who served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for over 14 years between 1991 and 2016, died on December 5, 2016, after getting treatment for 75 days. In 2017, late All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader PH Pandian had allegedly claimed that Jayalalithaa was pushed at her Poes Garden residence in Chennai leading to hospitalisation. Claiming that then-AIADMK General Secretary VK Sasikala had allegedly administered 'slow poison in small doses or gradual overdose' in the ex-CM's diabetes medicine, several party leaders had sought a probe into Jayalalithaa's death.