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Why can’t Jayalalithaa death probe panel submit report in 3 months: Madras HC
The petitioner called the commission a waste of taxpayers money stating that it was defunct since 2019 after Apollo Hospitals which treated Jayalalithaa had obtained a stay from the Supreme Court on the proceedings of the commission.
The Madras high court has sought the Tamil Nadu government to respond on why the Justice A Arumugamsamy Commission, probing the death of late chief minister J Jayalalithaa, should not be directed to file its final report within the next three months.
The bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorth issued the notice to the state to respond in six weeks based on a petition filed by an advocate Thondan Subramani. The petitioner called the commission a waste of taxpayers money stating that it was defunct since 2019 after Apollo Hospitals which treated Jayalalithaa had obtained a stay from the Supreme Court on the proceedings of the commission.
After being re-elected for a second consecutive term in May 2016, Jayalalithaa underwent a long treatment towards the end of year and died on December 5 2016 due to cardiac arrest. The following year, the one-man judicial commission was set up by the previous AIADMK regime on the insistence of O Panneerselvam who officiated in the post during her illness. The commission was meant to independently enquire into her death and the medical treatment given to her.
Taking note of the petitioner’s submissions that the commission hasn’t made any progress in the past two years and has had several extensions, the court in its orders said, “The State should indicate why the relevant Commission should not be directed to file its final report and wind up its business within the next three months.” The matter has been posted to August 13.
