The Supreme Court has stayed the bail condition imposed by the Madras High Court on a 4-year lady proprietor of a prominent hospital and her driver that they should everyday travel a 150km distance and serve an orphanage for three hours. A three-judge bench of Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices-P Sathasivam and B S Chauhan said the condition imposed by the high court shall remain "stayed until further orders." The apex court passed the order while dealing with an appeal filed by Dr Muthulakshmi,proprietor of Coimbatore-based Vikram Hospital and wife of ENT surgeon P G Viswanathan,challenging the condition imposed by the high court on her and the hospital's driver Kumar. Muthulakshmi and her driver had applied for an anticipatory bail in the high court after the former's son and daughter-in-law lodged a criminal case accusing them of criminal intimidation and robbery. Alleging that the case was foisted on them due to property disputes,the woman and the driver approached the high court for anticipatory bail. But the high court,while granting the bail,imposed the condition that the duo shall report at an orphanage at Thrichenegode in Namakal district,150km from Coimbatore,where Muthulakshmi resides and served the inmates for three hours every day.
