Jaya panel warns Apollo Hospital, directs doctors' deposition

Chennai: The Justice A Arumughaswamy Commission of Inquiry, probing the death of late chief minister J Jayalalithaa, Thursday warned the Apollo Hospital of legal consequences if it failed to depute its doctors to appear before the panel.

In a letter to the hospital chairman Dr Prathap C Reddy, the panel, whose extended tenure ends next month, noted that in previous hearings some of the doctors, summoned, had not appeared before it had been condoned.

"Depute the doctors and technician before this commission without raising any technical objections, remembering that your hospital has received several crores of rupees towards treatment charges (of Jayalalithaa)," it said.

The panel directed cardiologist Dr Sai Sathish, Consultants, Dr C Vignesh and Dr D Ravi Varma to appear before it on September 11, respiratory medicine specialist Dr Babu K Abraham and technician Madivannan on Sept 12 and chief physiotherapist, Raj Prassanna on Sept 10.

"...if you fail to depute the doctors and technician,

law will take its own course against you and other directors," the letter, a copy of which is made available to the media, said. The one-man commission, headed by retired Madras High Court judge A Arumughaswamy, pointed out that the doctors were directed to appear only in a phased manner.