The one-man Commission of Inquiry (COI) which is looking into last year’s mysterious demise of former chief-minister J. Jayalalithaa, has summoned Dr. Balaji of Apollo Hospitals, Chennai to appear before it for interrogation.

Headed by Justice Arumuga Swamy (Retd.), the COI was appointed two months back by the Govt. of Tamil Nadu. The setting up of the COI also paved way for the merger of the AIADMK factions led by EPS and OPS. The COI had already commenced its investigations by interrogating Dr. Saravanan of the DMK.

AIADMK’s Bose won last year’s Tiruparankundram by-polls defeating DMK’s Dr. Saravanan. The nomination papers nominating Bose had Jayalalithaa’s left-hand thumb impression on them as she was admitted to the Apollo Hospital at that time and wasn’t in a position to sign the papers. Saravanan had raised doubts about the genuineness of the thumb impression affixed and also complained to the COI.

Saravanan wondered whether Jayalalithaa was ‘conscious’ at the time of affixing her thumb impression on the nomination form. Dr. Balaji was issued summons by the COI so as to explain the circumstances as he was the doctor who was reportedly present in the room when Jayalalithaa ‘affixed’ her thumb impression on the form.
 
Dr. Balaji would be interrogated on Thursday to be followed by Jayalalithaa’s relative Madhavan (husband of Deepa) who had sent 19 queries to the COI about the late leader’s mysterious demise.