Justice Arumughaswamy Commission on Jayalalithaa's death submits report to govt
Cabinet to take it up on Monday
Chennai, Aug 27: The much-awaited report of a panel that probed the circumstances surrounding late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's death, was on Saturday submitted to the Tamil Nadu government and it will be placed before the state cabinet in its August 29 meet.
Justice A Arumughaswamy, who led the probe while hearing over 150 witnesses, submitted the report to chief minister MK Stalin and said it was now up to the government to decide on making it public.
An official release from the state government said the CM has directed that the report be placed before the Cabinet meet on Monday and take "due action."
The ruling DMK had, ahead of the April 2021 Assembly polls in the state, promised a proper inquiry into the circumstances leading to the death of Jayalalithaa and initiation of legal action again 'anyone' found guilty.
The Arumughaswamy Commission of Inquiry, constituted by the previous AIADMK government, commenced it's hearing on November 22, 2017. The panel head is a retired judge of the Madras High Court.
Justice Arumughaswamy, who later spoke to reporters, said the 500 page report in English was prepared after hearing about 150 witnesses. The Tamil version ran up to 608 pages.
"Only the government can decide on publishing the report," he said, adding, all concerned aspects have been mentioned in the report and said it was a "satisfying" outing for him.
Aspects including Jayalalithaa's ailments and habits were looked into, while the report has "reference in two parts," including her being admitted to the Apollo Hospital here on September 22, 2016 for treatment. She died on December 5 the same year, after 75 days of hospitalisation.
Asked if there were "doubts on anyone," he said "that is the report," even as he repeatedly refused to divulge into the specifics, as it would amount to revealing the contents.
"I have written less, but mentioned the depositions of witnesses," running to many pages, he said.
"I have said everything, answered everything," he said in response to a query.
He also said AIIMS, Delhi gave its report on Jayalalithaa's death three months after her demise.
Many felt the commission "worked like a court," he added. He thanked Stalin and the state government for allowing the commission to continue.
Among the witnesses who have deposed before the commission are AIADMK top leader O Panneerselvam, Jayalalithaa's niece Deepa and nephew Deepak, doctors, top officials and the party's C Vijayabaskar (former health minister), M Thambi Durai, C Ponnaiyan and Manoj Pandian.
Deepa and Deepak had raised suspicions over circumstances surrounding their aunt's death. V K Sasikala, confidante of the late Chief Minister had filed an affidavit through her counsel in 2018.
Her affidavit was related to, among other points, the circumstances leading to Jayalalithaa's hospitalisation.
During the recent proceedings, doctors from the Apollo Hospitals briefed through video-conferencing a medical board of AIIMS-Delhi specialists on the treatment provided to Jayalalithaa.
The AIIMS panel took part in the proceedings virtually to help the Commission handle medical aspects as per the Supreme Court's direction.
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2 Indian nationals part of crew of luxury cruise ship that reported hantavirus outbreak
London (PTI): At least two Indian nationals are part of the crew of the Dutch vessel MV Hondius which reported a hantavirus outbreak with five confirmed cases and three deaths so far, according to the BBC.
The luxury cruise ship, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, began its journey on April 1 from Argentina’s Ushuaia and is expected to arrive in Spain’s Canary Islands on May 10.
About 150 passengers and crew from 28 countries were initially aboard the luxury cruise, but dozens disembarked on the island of St Helena on April 24, according to the report.
Of the 28 nationalities onboard, 38 are from the Philippines, 31 from the UK, 23 from the US, 16 from the Netherlands, 14 from Spain, nine from Germany, six from Canada, and two crew members from India, among others, the BBC reported.
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The World Health Organization said on Thursday that five of the eight suspected hantavirus cases had been confirmed.
A 69-year-old Dutch woman, confirmed to have the virus, has died; her Dutch husband and a German woman were also among the fatalities. Their cases are being investigated.
The UN health agency has said the outbreak is not the start of a pandemic.
Maria van Kerkhove, an infectious disease epidemiologist at WHO, told a news briefing that the situation is not the same as six years ago with Covid-19 because hantavirus spreads through “close, intimate contact”.
Van Kerkhove said “this is not Covid, this is not influenza, it spreads very, very differently”. She said authorities had asked “everyone to wear a mask” on board the MV Hondius.
Those in contact with or caring for suspected cases, she added, should “wear a higher level of personal protective equipment”.
Hantavirus typically spreads from rodents - but in the latest outbreak the transmission between people was documented for the first time, the WHO said.
Meanwhile, health authorities are racing to trace dozens of people who have recently disembarked from the Dutch vessel MV Hondius.
Oceanwide Expedition said 29 passengers, of at least 12 different nationalities, had left the MV Hondius in St Helena, the British Overseas Territory.
It also said the body of one deceased person—now known to be a Dutch man - was taken off the vessel.
Seven of those who left the cruise liner were British nationals.
