PIL against observing Jaya’s death anniversary

CHENNAI: A PIL has been filed in the Madras High Court to prevent the State government from observing officially the death anniversary of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on December 5, till the one-man commission of inquiry headed by Justice A Arumughaswamy declared the official date of the death, after getting scientific proof from fingerprint and forensic experts.

In his PIL, R Kumaravel, an advocate of SIDCO Nagar, Villivakkam, said he had submitted an affidavit before the Commission on November 22 last with a prayer to call for the original thumb impressions that were affixed in forms relating to the nomination papers of AIADMK candidate A K Bose. They should be sent for forensic test for finding the basic truth.

While so, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisami had announced that the government would observe the death anniversary of Jayalalithaa on December 5. The petitioner said he had no objection to the Chief Minister or his political party (AIADMK) observing the annual day on party basis. But, the government should not officially declare and observe the disputed date of death of Jayalalithaa.

The petitioner added that the Supreme Court had not acquitted Jayalalithaa from the disproportionate assets case but it had only abated her in the appeals as she passed away, by its final order dated February 14 last.

Since the government itself had issued the terms of reference to Justice Arumughaswamy Commission to inquire into the circumstances leading to the hospitalisation of Jayalalithaa, to know her real health status, it should defer from observing the death anniversary by spending public money either till the Commission declared the date of death or it sends the fingerprints of Jayalalalithaa to forensic test and obtaining the result.