NEW DELHI: A special court today allowed the authorities of Tihar Jail here to take Chhota Rajan to a hospital in case of an emergency, after the underworld don complained of chest pain and breathlessness.
Special CBI Judge Vinod Kumar passed the order on an application by the jail superintendent stating that Rajan had complained of medical problems on March 14 and sought the court’s permission to take him to a government hospital in case of an emergency.
The jail official also said that Rajan had undergone a bypass surgery in the past.
As the CBI submitted that Lt Governor had on January 6 directed not to shift Rajan out of the prison, the judge said the purpose of that order was that the accused shall not be produced physically in any court. Rajan is currently lodged in the high security ward of the jail.
“It is directed that all facilities be provided to accused Chhota Rajan in jail itself. In case of any medical emergency, the Jail Superintendent has to act in accordance with jail manual,” the court said.
“However, this does not debar the jail authorities from taking an accused to hospital outside Tihar Jail in case of emergency. Hence, the Jail Superintendent is duly empowered to act under Jail Manual to take appropriate decision in this regard at his own end,” the court said.
Rajan, who was produced before the court through video conferencing, told the judge that he was feeling suffocated inside the jail.
During the hearing, his counsel urged the court that Rajan’s fundamental rights under Article 21 of Constitution must be protected.
The court also fixed April 18 for scrutiny of documents in a fake passport case in which Rajan and two other accused have sought copies of some deficit documents.
Deported after being on the run for 27 years, the 55-year old gangster, who was once a close aide of fugitive terrorist and underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, was brought to India to face trial in over 70 cases of murder, extortion and drug smuggling in Delhi and Mumbai.
He was deported to India after his arrest in Bali in October last year.
PTI