Appearing before the Justice A Arumughasamy enquiry commission probing her death, he stated that he was unaware who made the decision to remove the cameras.

IPS officer Sathyamurthy also said that the entire second floor of Apollo Hospitals was under the control of the intelligence wing during the course of Jayalalithaa’s treatment.

He however added that they did not maintain a daily log of visitors to the ailing chief minister. He said that the details of visits made were unavailable.

Sathyamurthy also told the Commission that he was not aware of the health condition of the chief minister prior to her hospitalisation. He added that the SPG who were assigned to protect the chief minister and the intelligence wing did not have any communication either.

As the Arumughasamy Commission’s probe enters the final stages with four months remaining for the submission of the report, the Commission’s attempt to gain access to the room in Apollo Hospitals where Jayalalithaa spent her last days has been stalled.

The visit, which was due to take place on June 15, was postponed after Apollo Hospitals claimed to not have been adequately notified so as not to inconvenience patients.

The Commission and the hospital came to an agreement that the lawyers of the panel and the counsels of Sasikala will be allowed to visit the room. The hospital is however reluctant to allow media personnel to be part of the visit. This disagreement has led to a delay in finalising a date for the visit to the hospital.