No media coverage of Jayalalithaa's death without prior permission, says inquiry panel probing leader's death

The Justice A Arumugaswamy Commission of Inquiry, probing the circumstances surrounding the death of former Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa, on Tuesday banned any reportage or speculation about the subject in the media without prior permission from the commission. On the eve of the AIADMK leader’s second death anniversary, the commission reportedly also ordered news outlets and agencies to submit any documents or information they may have on Jayalalithaa’s death. According to reports, the order came after the hearing of a petition in connection to a segment of SUN TV network. [caption id=“attachment_4258573” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File photo of former Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa. AFP[/caption] NDTV reported that Arumugaswamy, a retired high court judge heading the commission, passed the restriction after VK Sasikala, Jayalalithaa’s aide, raised objections to a programme called ‘Jaya death mystery’. According to a report by The New Indian Express, the advocates for the network submitted that the channel will not telecast anything related to the AIADMK chief henceforth. The commission, which was appointed by the E Palaniswami-led government in September 2017, was formed after members of the AIADMK and DMK parties alleged that the death had occurred under mysterious circumstances. Reportedly, the DMK had demanded that the issue be probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Jayalalithaa was hospitalised in Apollo on 22 September 2016. The former chief minister was declared dead on 5 December after undergoing treatment for 75 days. On 14 November, a new life-sized statue of the leader was unveiled in Chennai, replacing the older one after it drew flak from supporters, party members, and social media claiming that it didn’t resemble Jayalalithaa accurately enough. With inputs from agencies