Excise policy case: HC allows ED’s request to let AIIMS verify Indospirit MD’s medical documents

Appearing for the ED, advocate Zoheb Hossain submitted that they had received Mahendru’s medical documents. He said the agency may be allowed to get the documents verified by the director of AIIMS, Delhi.

Pursuant to this, the HC said, “Let the documents be verified by AIIMS.”

Appearing for Mahendru, senior advocate Vikram Chaudhari submitted that since his client had undergone surgery, the hospital may want to discharge him. The court observed that in the meantime, it asked the hospital, where Mahendru is presently admitted, to keep him in a private room as per the request of his family till May 24.

The court stated that the expenses of the hospital and deployment of prison guards at the hospital will be borne by Mahendru. It also allowed Mahendru’s parents, his wife and children to have access to him at the hospital. “It is further directed that the family of the petitioner, at the time of meeting the petitioner, shall deposit their phones with guards deployed outside,” the court said, adding that Mahendru will not be permitted to use his mobile phone.

On April 27, the HC had rejected Mahendru’s plea for extension of interim bail. The court acknowledged that a person cannot be denied medical treatment only because he is accused of a PMLA offence, however, it observed at the same time that the “court, while exercising such discretion, has to take into account the intention of the legislature or the rigor on the grant of bail in such cases”.

“This court is fully conscious of the fact that practice of granting interim bail cannot be converted into an evergreening process or making it a substitute for the grant of the regular bail,” Justice Sharma had said in its April 27 order.

In its April 27 order, the court directed Mahendru to surrender while asking the jail authorities to ensure that he is taken to the doctor who had been treating him on May 4. The court said Mahendru, if advised by the doctor, could get admitted in the hospital and surgery, if advised, may be conducted, stating that guards of the jail authorities shall be deployed there.

The HC had then also said that if the doctor says surgery is not required to be performed, then Mahendru shall be taken back to prison and in case, the surgery is conducted, he shall remain admitted in the hospital till May 15, the next date on which the matter is listed.