Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Journalism of Courage
2023 train shooting incident: Victim’s kin seeks recalling of order to send ex-RPF cop for further treatment
Says Mental Health Review Board declared him stable
RPF constable Chetansinh Chaudhary is facing trial for allegedly murdering his senior colleague, assistant sub-inspector Tikaram Meena, and three Muslim passengers Asghar Ali Abbas, Abdul Kader Bhanpurwala and Syed Saifuddin on the Jaipur-Mumbai passenger train. (Source: File)
The family member of one of the passengers killed on the Jaipur-Mumbai train on July 31, 2023, has sought recalling of a court order passed last month, referring the accused, dismissed RPF constable Chetansinh Chaudhary, to a mental institute for care and treatment.
The wife of passenger Asghar Ali Abbas Shaikh said in a plea filed before the court on Wednesday that a District Mental Health Review Board had conducted a comprehensive mental health assessment of Chaudhary and declared him mentally stable and fit to stand trial.
“This report was placed before this honourable court on March 24, 2025… There is therefore no legal or factual basis to order a fresh referral,” the reply said. It also said that Chaudhary was admitted to the Regional Mental Hospital in Thane from February to July in 2025 and after completion of his treatment, his status was certified as stable. “Having received and completed the prescribed course of treatment, another referral is entirely superfluous and amounts to the accused gaming the judicial process,” the plea said.
On March 25, the court had directed shifting Chaudhary to the hospital, while his bail plea is pending, in which he has claimed that he is suffering from “borderline insanity”.
The chargesheet filed by the Government Railway Police did not refer to any mental health issues faced by Chaudhary.
The plea also says that Chaudhary did not mention the review board’s report in his bail application and that this suppression should be “dealt with sternly”. It also adds that the accused, a “trained law-enforcement officer”, killed three unarmed civilians and his senior colleague.
Chaudhary is facing trial for allegedly murdering his senior colleague, assistant sub-inspector Tikaram Meena, and three Muslim passengers Asghar Ali Abbas, Abdul Kader Bhanpurwala and Syed Saifuddin on the Jaipur-Mumbai passenger train.
Story continues below this ad
“Any order facilitating bail or repeated medical referrals in such a case strikes at the roots of justice for the victims…With charges framed and 18 witnesses already examined, granting bail or adjourning trial for fresh medical assessment at this juncture would gravely prejudice the prosecution,” the plea said, adding that the court had already considered the evidence and refused bail to him once earlier.
Advertisement
Loading Recommendations...
Live Blog