Political leaders M K Stalin and S Ramadoss and many senior journalists have asked for a detailed treatment summary from the hospital. They wondered why no video or photo of Jayalalithaa was released during her hospital days.
Stalin said: “I do not want to politicise the issue. But Jayalalithaa was not an ordinary citizen. She was a chief minister and guardian of the people of the state. Why was her health condition not made public?”
Actors Gautami and Sarath Kumar wrote letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding a probe.
According to online news stream Firstpost, senior journalists of NDTV news channel close to Apollo Hospital directors had claimed that Jayalalithaa was admitted in an unconscious state on September 22. They suspect that her diabetes medicines had been tampered with at home. Ironically since admission, Apollo released periodic health bulletins but did not allow even senior politicians or government cadres to see Jayalalithaa.
Many suspect that V K Sasikala, Jayalalithaa’s confidante/companion of 32 years, was behind her isolation in hospital.
However Jayalalithaa’s AIADMK party have rubbished these rumours and urged Sasikala to take over as general secretary despite public discontent.
Her appointment was stayed by the Madras High Court on December 15, which said it violated the Societies Registration Act.
The petitioner was Sasikala Pushpa, an ex-AIADMK member of Rajya Sabha. The case will come for hearing on December 21.
Unaccounted cash seized
Nearly Rs7mn of unaccounted cash in new Rs2,000 notes were seized at two places in the state last week.
In Tiruchi, Peer Mohamed, the owner of popular Buhari hotel and four others were arrested for carrying unaccounted cash of Rs3.4mn in his luxury Audi car at Orthanadu about 50km from the Chennai last week.
Police arrested him on a tip-off from some pedestrians whom Peer Mohamed had asked for directions to Karambiyam village. He admitted that he had planned to purchase land at the village but could not show valid documents.
Later his house in Tiruchi’s KK Nagar was also raided.
In Erode, four men were arrested for carrying Rs3.4mn in new notes in two cars during a routine vehicle check at Gobichettipalayam–Mudichur road.
Company assets frozen
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has frozen assets worth Rs5.28bn of the Madurai-based PRP granite conglomerate under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) last week.
The ED said that 48 first information reports filed by Madurai police revealed that PRP’s indiscriminate quarrying had caused loss of human lives and damage to government property between 2006 and 2016.
PRP directors P R Palanisamy, his sons Senthil Kumar and Suresh Kumar and son-in-law A R Maharajan and their business partner Panneer Mohamed reportedly bribed local government officials and submitted forged land documents to quarry granite in non-leased government lands.
PRP had acquired about 1,625 immovable properties worth Rs1.03bn with their business proceeds. Currently the accused are out on bail.