INHS board to examine Bhosale’s long hospitalisation, says court

“It is a fact that since a very long time accused No. 21 (Bhosale) is hospitalised and that has created doubt in the mind of investigating agency. Therefore, agency wants to get accused No. 21 examined by constituting a board of INHS and get it checked whether the hospitalisation of accused No. 21 is bonafide and whether the illness claimed by accused No. 21 is so serious which does not permit him to resume jail. Long hospitalisation of the accused No. 21 justifies the prayer made by the CBI,” special judge M G Deshpande said in his order on Wednesday.

The court added that by this order it was not doubting the treatment being given to Bhosale by St George’s Hospital where he is admitted. “However, it will help the court as well as agency (CBI) to find out the real circumstances of transaction leading to the long hospitalisation of accused No.21,” the court said.

Bhosale was arrested on May 26, 2022 by the CBI and then the ED in connection with the DHFL scam case. The CBI plea said that on October 15, 2022, Arthur Road jail, where he was lodged, referred him to St George Hospital. He remained there for over three months till January 28, 2023, when he was discharged following orders of the court. Two months later on March 31, 2023, he was again admitted to the hospital on suspicion that he had Covid-19. The CBI claimed that Bhosale’s referral and hospitalisation was without the court’s permission. The CBI claimed that in the past nine months his hospitalisation has been continued “on pretext of one or other medical issues”.

The CBI claimed that in November 2023 it had similarly approached the court seeking the constitution of a medical board by JJ hospital. The CBI claimed that the board justified the hospitalisation and Bhosale continues to remain admitted, even two months later. The CBI said that in this background of his prolonged hospitalisation, the agency wanted a fresh evaluation by independent specialist doctors. It sought for a report from a armed forces hospital to “reveal the true picture”.

After the Board of JJ Hospital had specified that his hospitalisation was justified in November 2023, the court had said that the Board should decide on it, observing that there are no facilities at Arthur Road jail for attending to health issues urgently. The court has now directed dean or head of INHS Asvini to constitute a board and submit a report examining all the details and medical treatment undergone by Bhosale.