Wadhawan will get medical help but no extra privileges: HC

On July 14, special judge M G Deshpande rejected Wadhawan’s application for interim bail on medical grounds stating that the he had ‘misused’ his previous bail at a ‘luxurious’ private hospital for 11 months.  According to the special court, the eight-day period of hospitalisation was to start from the day jail authorities transferred him to the private hospital.

The special court had allowed Wadhawan to be admitted to Lilavati Hospital, Bandra (West), for procedures on heart ailments at his own expense for eight days.

On July 20, the Bombay High Court allowed Wadhawan to meet his family at a private hospital for three hours and modified the one-hour time stipulated by the special court for visitation by family.

The high court had stated that the petitioner should not be permitted to sign any papers, other than those related to medical treatment or court proceedings, to avoid past incidents wherein he had alleged to have perused business documents.

On Tuesday, Wadhawan’s lawyer told the bench of Justice Bharati H Dangre that he was discharged from the hospital on August 1. However, the discharge papers indicated scheduled follow-up after a week, which did not take place. The advocate claimed that the doctor issued a discharge certificate under duress, despite Wadhawan continuing to experience medical issues.

The lawyer sought directions for post-discharge follow-up and interim bail on medical grounds.

The bench directed the jail medical staff to examine Wadhawan within the jail premises and said if hospitalisation was necessary, the court’s nod can be sought for such a transfer.

“You (Wadhawan) will get necessary medical assistance you deserve, but no extra privileges,” Justice Dangre remarked.

The court also directed the CBI, which apprehended Wadhawan in the loan fraud case in April 2020, to file its reply to the plea and posted further hearing of the matter to September 11.