Deceased former Tamil Nadu chief-minister J. Jayalalithaa’s former aide Sasikala has told the Justice Arumuga Swamy Commission of Inquiry (COI), which is probing the mysterious circumstances which preceded the former chief-minister’s demise on 05th December 2016, that AIADMK leaders O. Panneerselvam and Thambithurai met the chief-minister many times during her 75-long stint at the Apollo Hospitals, Chennai.

Sasikala’s signed affidavit, filed with the COI by her counsel, thus seeks to dispel the long-held belief that no politician/relative were allowed by her to even get close to the former chief-minister after she was admitted to Apollo Hospitals on the night of 22nd September, 2016 after which she never returned alive from the Hospital.  Apollo declared her dead late on the night of 05th December.

The COI was set up after OPS put a pre-condition to setting up the COI for merging with the EPS faction.  On an extended tenure, the COI inquired everyone from the doctors who treated the former chief-minister, her personal staff members, cook, gardener, Sasikala’s relatives who frequented the Hospital and issued summons to Sasikala who had now filed her reply via her counsel without appearing personally.  Following are some points contained in the affidavit filed by her counsel Aravind:

•    Jayalalithaa was under immense stress about the judgment on the appeal filed against the verdict of the special Bangalore Court in the misappropriation of assets case;
•    The few days of prison term served at the Bangalore prison had affected her a lot physically and mentally; she still went ahead, campaigned for the party and contested the 2016 Assembly polls from R.K. Nagar;
•    Jayalalithaa slipped in the bathroom on the night of 22nd September and didn’t agree to my suggestion of getting immediately admitted to the hospital;
•    It was true that she did discuss the Cauvery river water sharing row with officials when she was at the hospital;
•    Acting Governor Vidyasagar, OPS and Thambithurai met her many times during her stay at the Apollo Hospitals;
•    Jayalalithaa responded to the treatment very well but passed away unfortunately and in an unexpected manner; and
•    Video showing Jayalalithaa getting treated at the Hospital was shot only after getting her formal permission.

In the meantime, COI sources refused to confirm the news about Sasikala’s affidavit but an unnamed source said that it wasn’t sure about the contents as appearing in the print media.