ED wants Satyendar Jain checked by central govt doctors

Agency earlier told trial court it has serious doubts whether LNJP would furnish correct report regarding his health.

Delhi minister and AAP leader Satyendar Jain (File)

Contending that it has serious doubts as to whether the Lok Nayak Jaiprakash (LNJP) Hospital or even GB Pant Hospital would be able to independently assess his medical condition, the Enforcement Directorate has approached the Delhi High Court for constitution of an independent board consisting of a panel of doctors of central government hospitals for “verification” of Delhi minister and AAP leader Satyendar Jain’s condition.

Jain has been in custody in a money laundering case since May 30. Jain was admitted to LNJP on July 15. The ED earlier told the trial court that it had serious doubts whether the hospital would furnish a correct report regarding Jain’s health condition and prayed for his independent evaluation. The lower court had deferred the hearing on the issue to July 29 and sought a detailed medical report from the hospital. The hospital comes under the Delhi government.

Stating that Jain was the minister of health in the Delhi government, the ED before the High Court said that his image prominently features on the home webpage of the Lok Nayak hospital and the same raises doubts regarding “the impartial consideration” of his medical condition. His name is also on an inauguration plaque in the hospital, the ED has said.

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“The doctrine of fairness requires that (Jain) is evaluated independently by an independent hospital. It is the duty of the court to remove any possibility of likelihood of any kind of bias and to ensure that fairness and impartiality prevails in all proceedings connected with the court,” said the central agency.

Challenging the orders passed by the trial court on July 6 and July 19, the ED has said that on June 27, the Investigating Officer had found that Jain “was sleeping on the patient bed without any cannula on his hand, even the multipara patient monitor was switched off and the accused was not being monitored by any medical instrument”. His wife was present in the room and when the IO reached there, Jain immediately wore the oxygen mask, the BP apparatus belt and the monitor was switched on, the ED said.

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“It was under theses suspicious circumstances and the fact that prima facie the condition of the respondent was not such which required hospitalisation, an application was preferred seeking a direction that he may be admitted in any independent hospital like Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital or AIIMS Hospital at New Delhi for an independent evaluation,” added the central agency, adding that application was declined as Jain was then readmitted to jail.

On July 19, when the lower court was told that Jain has been again admitted to the hospital, the ED had raised an objection that he should be shifted to some independent hospital. However, the central agency said the trial court simply adjourned the matter to July 29.

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“Constitute a medical board constituting a panel of doctors of AIIMS/RL/Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, for enquiry into/verification of the actual medical condition of the Respondent (Jain),” the ED has said in its petition.

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