Court grants bail to Neurosurgeon accused of corruption after "no effective hearing" for one year
Jul 17, 2024
New Delhi [India], July 17 : The Rouse Avenue Court has granted regular bail to a renowned neurosurgeon in a corruption case after noting that "no effective hearing" took place for more than a year after the filing of the charge sheet.
Accused Dr Manish Rawat was working as an Associate Professor in Safdarjung Hospital at the time of his arrest in March 2023.
Special CBI Judge Anil Antil on July 16 granted bail to Dr Manish Rawat and said, "Thus, in the totality of the facts and circumstances of the case, and taking note of the custody period of the applicant/accused, in the backdrop of the fact that no effective hearing has taken place since the filing of the charge sheet on May 29, 2023, i.e. for the last more than a year."
The court also considered the fact that the trial of the case is likely to take considerable time to conclude, which is yet to begin, and reading the same in the light of Constitutional Provisions under Article 21, the applicant/accused Dr Manish Rawat is admitted to regular bail.
Dr. Manish Rawat has been granted bail on his furnishing a personal bond in the sum of Rs 50,000 with one surety in the
like amount. The Court has imposed some conditions on him including he shall not leave the country without prior permission of the court.
Senior counsel appeared for Rawat and submitted that he has spent about 1 year and 3 months in judicial custody and the trial of the case has not commenced.
It was also submitted that the result from the CFSL has not been collected and prepared by the concerned authorities despite the issuance of directions to them for a long.
On the other hand, CBI's Counsel opposed the bail application. He submitted that the allegations against the accused are serious in nature and evidence so collected during the investigation reveals that he indulged in corrupt and illegal practices for a long time during his tenure in the hospital to obtain illegal gratification from the patients and their attendants in the name of surgical implants and providing treatment to them.
It was also stated that the accused Dr. Manish Rawat is the main accused and played an active role in the conspiracy and commission of the alleged offence along with other co-accused persons, who were his employees or some middleman, through which innocent patients were trapped into their net to extort money.
