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Journalism of Courage
A sessions court on Tuesday directed that dismissed Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable Chetansinh Chaudhary, booked for the murder of his senior colleague and three passengers on board a Jaipur-Mumbai train in 2023, be shifted to a mental hospital in Thane for medical examination.
At present, Chaudhary is lodged in a jail in Akola district. During the last hearing earlier this month, the Akola jail authorities had sought directions from the court to shift him to a mental hospital in Nagpur, following a recommendation from the local hospital in Akola where he was referred to for a medical check-up by the jail authorities.
The prosecution had said that he can instead undergo the required medical examination in Thane, as the trial is ongoing. So far, two witnesses have been examined in the case.
“The trial has already begun… The jail authority is finding it difficult to produce the accused on each day of hearing from the Akola prison. Due to internet connectivity issues, the accused is not even produced through video-conference. Therefore, for the convenience of the jail authority and the accused, it is desirable that the accused be referred to a mental hospital in Thane for medical examination,” the sessions court said.
The court said that during the period of his medical examination, Chaudhary will be lodged in Thane jail. It has directed the jail authorities in Akola and Thane to make necessary arrangement to shift him, taking appropriate security measures.
In December, Akola jail authorities had written to the sessions court in Dindoshi stating that on December 19, 2024, the former RPF constable was not feeling well and was taken to the district government hospital. The medical officer who had examined Chaudhary had said that he was showing symptoms of mental ill-health or a disorder.
Chaudhary was arrested on July 31, 2023, for allegedly gunning down his senior colleague, assistant sub-inspector Tikaram Meena and three Muslim passengers on the Jaipur-Mumbai Central Superfast Express.
After the incident, Chaudhary’s family had claimed that he had a mental health condition, due to a “delusional disorder”. The court had rejected a similar contention made by him in his bail plea in November 2023, stating that Singh had chosen his “targets” from a particular community, indicating premeditation and a clear state of mind to commit the murders. The police, too, in the chargesheet had ruled out any mental issue.
Under the criminal law, if a person is found to be of unsound mind, the criminal proceedings against him are postponed and kept in abeyance.
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