An investigation report is not a clean slate on which the investigator can record his whims flying in the face of facts. did Arumughaswamy Inquiry Commission’s final report Explain the circumstances that led to Former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa passes away, as mandated by the Terms of Reference or is it based on the conclusion that political opportunism follows a predetermined satanic script emphasizing conspiracy theories hatched in the context? Report tabled in Tamil Nadu Assembly on Tuesday Jayalalithaa’s aide VK Sasikala found fault, former health minister C. Vijayabhaskar, two IAS officers and three doctors, and recommended further investigation against them. However, it falls short in explaining where the blame lies with those who plead it guilty, or finding a damning trail of evidence on their doorstep. Justice Arumughaswamy, trained as a lawyer and not in medicine, takes ex-facto decisions regarding medical procedures (angio/surgery for heart conditions) that should have been followed during Jayalalithaa’s treatment. His 75-day stint at Apollo Hospital, and goes beyond the line to make charges against the qualified medical professionals in charge of treatment based on these presumptions. In an apparent omission, he completely sidesteps the report of the AIIMS medical experts’ committee (constituted by the Supreme Court of India), which, issued earlier, agreed on the course of treatment and the final diagnosis by the hospital.
The report cherry-picks elements from a range of options provided by a panel of doctors, and follows a pre-determined narrative to arrive at part-phrase conclusions from the statements. Worse, it leans on respondents and witnesses to censure, especially evident when it asks why Jayalalithaa was not taken abroad for treatment after agreeing to it, as part of the report recording. The report of the country for treatment attached detailed documents about the treatment from the hospital and yet, unfathomably, it alleged that it is not providing contra-evidence or documentation (on the aspect of surgery). Five years after the commission of inquiry was formed, and nearly six years after Jayalalithaa’s death, the report makes no attempt to provide any justice, but goes out of line in making the unqualified call on the drug and alleging malpractice . The Tamil Nadu government has fulfilled its duty by presenting the report in the assembly and taking legal opinion on it. It is now bound to render rightful justice in this matter by ensuring that this long drawn out issue is well and truly buried with reports.