Jaya death case: Politics flares as Stalin Cabinet mulls panel’s probe push against Sasikala, others

The Justice Arumughaswamy panel on Jayalalithaa’s death, constituted by the previous AIADMK government in 2017, submitted its report to the Stalin government last Saturday.

Although sources say there were no signs of any “alarming evidence” during the Commission’s hearings or in its report to contradict the official version about Jayalalithaa’s death, four people who are likely to face the enquiry now were at the centre of conspiracy theories that did the rounds before and after Jayalalithaa’s death in the AIADMK and other party circles in the state.

Jayalalithaa passed away on December 5, 2016, a day after she suffered a cardiac arrest at the Chennai Apollo Hospital. She had been undergoing treatment there since September 22, 2016, for dehydration and fever and was since on extracorporeal life support.

Sasikala and Dr Sivakumar had played key roles in caring for Jayalalithaa prior to her admission to the Apollo Hospital. Also, they were among the handful of those who knew about Jayalalithaa’s prolonged medical condition, medications, diet and everything for being with her at her Poes Garden residence.

After submitting his report to CM Stalin, Justice Arumughaswamy, while addressing a press conference, said that Sasikala was not summoned to depose before the panel because she was not willing to appear in person. Earlier, when media reported contents purportedly from an affidavit submitted to the panel by Sasikala as her submission, Justice Arumughaswamy had dismissed such reports as false.

Known to be Jayalalithaa’s closest aide, Sasikala had stayed with her since late 1980s. A probe against Sasikala in Jayalalithaa’s death case will be crucial at a time when the former has been in political wilderness after being jettisoned from the AIADMK with her multi-crore assets and properties attached by central agencies in connection with their probes against her in various cases.

Dr Sivakumar was a relative and key aide of Jayalalithaa, who served as her personal physician. On the day that the then CM was taken ill and admitted to the hospital, Sasikala had first called Dr Sivakumar. In his submissions before the panel, he said Jayalalithaa was a “tough patient”. He spoke in length about her preference for grapes, cakes, sweets, chocolate and ice cream despite the fact that she was advised to shun them due to her diabetes and other health complications.

The then health minister Vijayabaskar was one of Jayalalithaa’s trusted lieutenants in her cabinet. After she was hospitalised, Vijayabaskar often used to camp at the hospital to monitor her health condition. Government sources familiar with the Commission’s proceedings pointed to his “answerability” in various things such as the decision to turn off the CCTV cameras at Jayalalithaa’s hospital. “When the hospital was blamed for certain things initially, it was later proved that they were actually following the orders from the government and the AIADMK as the CM was hospitalised. Vijayabaskar may be forced to give elaborate replies on many decisions he had taken during those days,” said a government source.

Former chief secretary P Rama Mohan Rao was said to be a controversial officer who faced allegations of corruption as well as raids while being in his top position. It was the then state law minister, C Ve Shanmugam, who had in 2018 demanded a probe against Rao in connection with Jayalalithaa’s treatments.

The mystery and conspiracy theories engulfing Jayalalithaa’s death had been fuelled for apparent political reasons with her immediate successor as the CM, O Panneerselvam, himself playing a role in it as he attempted to use it as a tool against Sasikala, who has become his ally now.