Chennai: The Madras high court on Friday raised a hugely pertinent issue on Friday pointing out that while statements were issued claiming that Jayalalithaa during hospitalisation was conducting meetings with officials, the government chose not to release those photographs.
Hearing a petition from Amrutha claiming to be Jayalalithaa's daughter, Justice S. Vaidyanathan referred to her counsel Prakash's submission that she was not allowed to even enter the Apollo Hospital to see her mother and quipped that even the then chief minister O. Panneerselvam could not meet Jayalalithaa at that time. And yet, there were statements issued that claimed that she was holding meetings with her officials, the judge pointed out.
He said if Jayalalithaa was indeed holding such official meetings at her hospital bed, nothing could have prevented the state government to release photographs of those meetings for public media. The State did not do it. "Mystery continues", said Justice Vaidyanathan said, obviously referring to the tsunami of charges, counter-charges and wild speculations relating to the period of Jayalalithaa's hospitalisation and her demise.
Even as the Justice Arumughasamy Commission meanders on with its list of witnesses for probing the hospitalisation and death of Jayalalithaa, Justice Vaidyanathan's loaded observation relating to the manner in which the government and those in control of her treatment at hospital, could well add up to the probe commission's stretching brief. Justice Vaidyanathan also made another very interesting statement while on this case, saying, "We are in a state where Kaalayil Maalai Pottu Maalaiyil Kaalai Vari Viduvargal".
