Diabetologist appears before probe panel

Dr Shantaram was Jayalalithaa’s diabetologist between the years 2000-2014. He is said to have told the enquiry commission that Jayalalithaa’s struggle with diabetes had been manageable and under control at the time he had treated her.

He also said that he had not been able to treat her after her admission to Apollo Hospitals. He had tried to pay her a visit, but was unable to do so.

The commission had summoned Dr Ramachandran and Dr Jaishree Gopal the day before Dr Shantaram’s deposition. Sources revealed that Dr Ramachandran had told the panel that he had been called to Poes Garden in May 2016 and that he had diagnosed Jayalalithaa with diabetes and prescribed new medication. He added that he had come to know through Dr Sivakumar that she did not take it.