TN appoints retd HC judge to probe Amma's death

Hours after ousted AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran revealed the existence of a hospital video his aunt VK Sasikala shot of the former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, the Tamil Nadu government appointed retired Madras High Court judge Justice A Arumughaswamy to probe the death. A government order was also issued in this regard.

On August 17, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami had announced that an inquiry commission, headed by a retired High Court judge, would be constituted to probe Jayalalithaa's death on December 5, 2016. Ever since her death though, there have been hints of foul play over the circumstances.

Justice Arumughaswamy was appointed on a day when Dhinakaran revealed that jailed party leader and his aunt, VK Sasikala, had shot a video of Jayalalithaa when she was undergoing treatment in Apollo Hospitals last year. The footage would be submitted to any inquiry panel set up by the government, he told reporters, responding to Sreenivasan's confession about lying on Jayalalithaa's health condition.

"CCTV footage is available with the hospital. We have footage shot by Chinnamma (Sasikala) when she questioned Jayalalithaa over her weight loss," Dhinakaran said.