2023 train shooting: Medical report finds ex-RPF constable mentally stable; bail plea to be heard
The court had sought a report from the jail where Chaudhary is currently lodged. The medical report dated December 18 was submitted last month to the sessions court.
THE MEDICAL report from Thane Central Jail submitted before the sessions court hearing the murder trial of dismissed Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable Chetansinh Chaudhary says that his health status is currently stable. Chaudhary, who is facing trial for the murders of his senior colleague and three Muslim passengers has filed a bail application in November, claiming that he is “mentally unstable”.
The court had sought a report from the jail where Chaudhary is currently lodged. The medical report dated December 18 was submitted last month to the sessions court. “Prisoner (Chaudhary) is hemodynamically stable at present,” the report states.
Chaudhary in his bail plea had cited that he was admitted to a mental institute for four months in 2025 and said that should be considered as a ground to grant him bail. Last year, Chaudhary was moved from Akola jail where he was lodged to Thane prison, and then transferred to a Thane mental institute, where he was kept under observation and treatment for five months, before being sent back to jail. The trial was stalled till his return to jail and was then restarted after five months.
So far, 16 witnesses have deposed in the case. The report from the jail states that the treatment advised by the Regional Mental Hospital in Thane was continued to him at the prison hospital. The court will now hear arguments on Chaudhary’s bail plea.
On July 31, 2023, Chaudhary, who was on duty on the Jaipur-Mumbai superfast passenger train, allegedly shot his senior sub-inspector Tikaram Meena, and three passengers-Asgar Ali Abbas, Abdul Kader Bhanpurwala and Syed Saifuddin.
Chaudhary in his bail plea says that his psychological assessment at the time of the incident was not conducted. His plea filed through his lawyers Amit Mishra and Pankaj Ghildiyal says that he has no knowledge of the incident “as he is suffering from extreme mental stokes”, claiming that he suffers from white matter disease. The prosecution has opposed his bail plea stating that the ground does not inspire confidence.
The family member of one of the victims has also opposed the plea stating that had Chaudhary been of unsound mind he would not have handpicked the passengers from different bogeys by checking their attire before killing them.
Sadaf Modak is a distinguished Legal Correspondent based in Mumbai whose work demonstrates exceptional Expertise and Authority in covering the intricacies of the judicial and correctional systems. Reporting for The Indian Express, she is a highly Trustworthy source for in-depth coverage of courtroom proceedings and human rights issues.
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