Jayalalithaa's health: Tamil Nadu CM interacting and progressing gradually, says Apollo Hospitals

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa is interacting and progressing gradually, Director of Medical Services, Apollo Hospital in Chennai said on Friday. The hospital said that the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister continues to be under treatment and observation for all vital parameters, respiratory support and physiotherapy.

Earlier on Friday, NHRC Chairperson HL Dattu said arrests of people on the issue of rumours over  Jayalalithaa’s health may not be an answer and that there  are other ways of dealing with it.

“People have the fundamental right to express. The Supreme Court has spoken a lot on this. It has in a recent judgement also upheld the right. And, whether it is (IPC section) 500 or 505, arrest may not be an answer.  There are other avenues to check rumour-mongering,” he told reporters.

The remarks of Justice Dattu, a former Chief Justice of India, come in the wake of a series of arrests in few persons in Tamil Nadu for allegedly circulating rumours regarding Jayalalithaa’s health status.

Meanwhile, the Madras High Court on Friday dismissed yet another PIL in connection with the health of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, terming it as ‘one more publicity interest litigation’.

The PIL, filed by Dr G Pravina, sought setting up of an “expert life saving committee”, headed by the Chief Secretary. The petitioner said the panel should comprise specialist doctors from government hospitals and one member from the judiciary.

When the petition came up for hearing, the court dismissed it, stating, “We completely fail to understand the intervention sought to be made by the petitioner in the matter of this nature and it is for the people concerned to determine the nature of treatment. It is one more publicity interest litigation.”

On October 6, the court had dismissed another PIL petition as “publicity interest litigation”. Social activist ‘Traffic’ K R Ramaswamy had sought a direction to authorities to spell out the “real” status of Jayalalithaa’s health condition.

Dr Pravina contended that Apollo Hospital “retained the Chief Minister with unexplained necessity.” The hospital had retained her for 20 days without explaining sufficient medical cause for such a longer treatment, she said in her petition.

68-year old Jayalalithaa was admitted to Apollo Hospital on September 22 after she complained of fever and dehydration. A specialist from London, besides a three-member team of doctors from AIIMS, Delhi, had also examined Jayalalithaa, who is being treated for infection with respiratory support.