The one-man Commission probing the death of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa rejected on Tuesday V.K. Sasikala’s application seeking more time to file her affidavit. The panel criticised her for “playing hide and seek with the Commission”.
Retired Justice A. Arumugasamy remarked that either the Commission can proceed to Parappana Agrahara prison in Bengaluru where Sasikala is lodged to record her statement or “very well draw adverse inference since the applicant has not filed sworn affidavit from November 22, 2017”.
Justice Arumugasamy refused to expunge the observations made in the order dated January 30 that she did not want to disclose the “entire truth on her own”, which Sasikala said were adverse remarks against her.
“It is very clear that she has failed to file her sworn affidavit from November 22 till date, even after the 5th time she is repeatedly filing application after application only for extension of time and she doesn’t like to disclose what had happened under the guise of treatment,” he said in the order.
‘Filing by Monday’
Listing out the timeline of the applications seeking extension of time filed by Sasikala, Justice Arumugasamy said that even after she was provided with the copies of petitions, complaints and sworn affidavits – 28 sworn affidavits, 144 petitions and 302 complaints – received by the Commission, she wanted more time to peruse these.
Raja Senthoor Pandian, Sasikala’s counsel, told The Hindu that only on February 26 were the documents that they had sought from the Commission given to them. “I asked for 15 days. Today, I asked for 7 days, but no fair chances have been given,” he said.
Mr. Pandian said that they were preparing Sasikala’s affidavit. “We will get her signature on Friday and will file by Monday. We are only asking for a reasonable time,” he said, adding that there was nothing in the summons about filing an affidavit before the Commission.
Driver deposes
Meanwhile, late Jayalalithaa’s driver, Kannan, deposed before the Commission. He said that he had seen Jayalalithaa 5 days after she was admitted to Apollo Hospitals. Mr. Kannan, who was Jayalalithaa’s driver since 1991, said he had gone to Apollo when she was being admitted. “I had taken her vehicle and followed the ambulance in which she was taken to the hospital,” he said.
