Will ADMK leader and former Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam be the next? This was the question that a major section of people raised when the inquiry commission, that probes the death of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, has said that the probe is inching to its end. As Panneerselvam had divulged that Jayalalithaa's death was mysterious and that it has to be investigated, they had urged the commission to summon Panneerselvam again and interrogate him over his leader's death. 

J Jayalalithaa had died in December 2016, after 75 days of hospitalization in Apollo Hospitals, Chennai. Her demise had birthed a revolt in ADMK as Panneerselvam had drifted the party by alleging that he was forced to resign as Chief Minister by Jayalalithaa's aide VK Sasikala to pave the way for her. Panneerselvam went on to held a drama at Jayalalithaa's memorial and claimed that Jayalalithaa's soul had talked to him. He had been pronouncing that the late Chief Minister's death was mysterious. He had revolted the party with the backing of dozens of party leaders including legislators. 

When VK Sasikala was preparing to go to Chief Minister's office to take over the post, the Supreme Court had directed her to go to jail after being convicted under a disproportionate assets case. Ahead of the incarceration, Sasikala had nominated Edappadi Palaniswami as the Chief Minister. When Palaniswami formed the government, there were talks between him and Panneerselvam's camp for a merger. After episodes of deliberations, the factions have merged together and Palaniswami had fulfilled a key demand from Panneerselvam for the merger- investigating Jayalalithaa's death. 

The Edappadi Palaniswami regime had formed a special investigation committee under the retired judge Justice Arumughaswamy. The probing commission had conducted inquiries with hundreds of people including doctors, medical staff, ministers, and the state health secretary. However, there had been no potential output from the commission and in four years, the government of Tamil Nadu had given extensions to the commission several times and it is still reeling to submit its report to the government on how Jayalalithaa had died. 

During its course, the commission had summoned O Panneerselvam two times to appear for investigation. However, he didn't turn up and skipped the summons. When he was questioned for skipping the summons for the investigation that he had demanded, Panneerselvam had maintained that he could not appear before the commission as he had other important works and put a mere affirmation that he will appear for investigation during the next summon. It must be noted that it was Panneerselvam who claimed that he will be the first person to appear before the commission. 

To Panneerselvam's relief, the probe was halted in 2019 after the Supreme Court had given a stay order for the commission based on the plea moved by the Apollo Hospitals. The sudden hiatus of the commission had extended its deadline and the DMK government had approached the apex court in July this year and informed the court that 90 per cent of the inquiry had been completed and the commission would submit its reports soon if given permission. Now, the commission has informed the apex court on Thursday -September 16 that it will be able to submit a report of probe into Jayalalithaa's death within a month. 

The counsel appearing for the commission has divulged that the commission has examined over 154 witnesses and only four witnesses are remaining, and it will be in a position to submit its report within a month. The 154 witnesses include 56 doctors attached to the Apollo Hospital, five doctors from AIIMS, 12 government doctors including the medical board of five doctors constituted by the Tamil Nadu government, 22 paramedical staff, and other witnesses. 

As the commission has said that it has only four witnesses to investigate before completing the probe, the sources in the know had said that O Panneerselvam is among them and it will be no surprise if the commission summons VK Sasikala for an inquiry as she was the one who stayed with Jayalalithaa in the hospital. With the commission on its final phase of the probe, it has again come to the limelight across the state.