J Radhakrishnan has served as Tamil Nadu’s Health Secretary for more than eight years, from September 2012.
In a new twist in the mystery surrounding former chief minister J Jayalalithaa, Tamil Nadu Law Minister C Ve Shanmugam on Monday claimed that AIADMK supremo would have been alive if was given proper treatment and taken to abroad for treatment.
"There is a mystery in Jayalalithaa's death. So, a special investigation team should be set to probe her death. Besides, a case of suspicious death should be registered and all those involved should be investigated," he told reporters.
Jayalalithaa died on December 5, 2016, after a 75-day long stay at Apollo hospitals in Chennai.
Shanmugam called on his own government to institute an investigation into the background of Health Secretary Dr J Radhakrishnan for not taking Jayalalithaa to abroad for treatment. "The Centre offered to provide an air ambulance to take her abroad for treatment. But she was not taken to abroad. Dr Radhakrishnan has told the commission that if Jayalalithaa was taken abroad for treatment, Indian doctors would have lost their prestige and respect. The government should inquire into the background of Radhakrishnan, who being a doctor himself wanted the prestige of the doctors to be protected rather than saving the life of the chief minister," he said.
The Minister's charge comes days after the standing counsel of the Justice Arumughaswamy Commission filed a petition seeking to implead Tamil Nadu Health Secretary and former chief secretary P Rama Mohana Rao as respondents and alleged Radhakrishnan colluded and conspired with Apollo Hospital to provide inappropriate treatment to the late chief minister.
Shanmugam also alleged that three doctors opined in favour of performing an angiogram on Jayalalithaa, but that was not carried out. "We want to know the truth of who prevented the hospital from conducting the angiogram despite the doctor's advice? Who wanted her dead?" he asked.
He also said that former chief secretary P Rama Mohana Rao lied to the commission that the Tamil Nadu cabinet rejected the proposal to take Jayalalithaa abroad for treatment. "The cabinet did not meet when she was hospitalised," he said.
Pointing out that the commission's standing counsel has filed a petition seeking to implead the health secretary and former chief secretary as respondents, the Law Minister said that the commission should immediately file an interim report.
Radhakrishnan has declined to the comment on the Minister's charges against him. He told reporters on December 20 - after deposing before the commission - that Jayalalithaa did not wish to travel abroad for treatment. "As far as I know, after she regained consciousness, she did not wish to go abroad. Then, in the end, there was an unexpected heart attack on the 4th. The Commission has asked details on all this, including the veracity of these details. As far as we know, we have given the details," he had said.
Apollo Hospitals strongly objected to the standing counsel's claims through a press statement. The counsel submitted that the failure to perform an angiogram in time on Jayalalithaa led to the deterioration of her health, suggesting collusion.
The commission has now summoned Health Minister C Vijayabaskar and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam to depose before it on January 7 and 8, respectively.
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 "Allegations of foul play in Jayalalithaa's death continue even as probe progresses.")
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