The vacation bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday raised questions regarding the circumstances surrounding the death of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, and also sent a notice to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Central government and others, asking why her body cannot be exhumed to dispel all the cloud surrounding the circumstances of her death.
Also read: Tamil Nadu: 470 people died of shock after Jayalalithaa's death
The court was reacting to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by PA Joseph — an activist from the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). Jayalalithaa was the chief of the party before she was declared dead late on December 5 night following a prolonged stay at the Apollo Hospital in Chennai.
The bench, consisting of Justices S Vaidyanathan and Parthiban, observed on Thursday: "We also saw in newspapers that the chief minister was recovering, and that she was eating, signing papers and even conducting meetings. And then suddenly she was dead."
The bench was also not happy with the secrecy maintained over the AIADMK leader's death. It was announced on behalf of the hospital that she had died at 11:30 pm on December 5, and her body was moved in the dead of the night to her Poes Garden residence in just hours. She was cremated with full state honours on December 6 evening.
However, the court observed that not only had no revenue division officer not seen her dead body, but also that her medical records had not been furnished. The bench said about the secrecy around Amma's death: "Even we have our in doubts about that." It added: "Why not, at least after her death, some proof was given?"
The PIL asked the court to form a committee to look into the mystery and secrecy surrounding Jayalalithaa's death. The court sent notices to the Central as well as the Tamil Nadu governments on exhumation of the mortal remains of Amma so that the controversy surrounding the circumstances of her death can be dispelled.
