By IANS,
New Delhi : Declining his bail plea for now, the Supreme Court Wednesday directed medical examination of 2008 Bangalore blasts accused Abdul Nazir Maudany to ascertain if he requires medical supervision till his eye surgery is done.
Ordering that Maudany be examined by Bangalore’s Manipal Hospital in a week’s time, the apex court bench of Justice H.L. Gokhale and Justice Kurian Joseph said that depending on the outcome of his medical examination, he will be shifted to the hospital.
Maudany is diagnosed with highly fluctuating and uncontrolled diabetes which was the cause of the rapidly deteriorating condition of his eyes.
Besides he suffers from hypertension, stable coronary artery disease (heart disease) and benign prostatic hypertrophy (enlargement of the prostate gland), amongst a myriad of other illnesses.
The court said that authorities would ensure that he gets the required food both in jail and the hospital, adding that Maudany’s wife and other close relatives would be allowed to visit him in the hospital.
The court said the Karnataka government would bear the expenses of Maudany’s hospitalisation and treatment as he was in their custody.
Earlier appearing for Maudany, counsel Prashant Bhushan told the court that his client was in custody for nearly three-and-half years. Earlier also, he was incarcerated for nine years in the Coimbatore blast case in which he was acquitted later.
Pleading that Maudany be granted two to three months’ interim bail so that he could stay at home and get proper care, food and medical treatment, Bhushan told the court that Maudany has not been convicted for any offence so far.
He said the only charge against him is that he attended a meeting where an alleged conspiracy was hatched.
The court was told that Maudany could not escape or flee as he suffers from multiple ailments — he is confined to a wheel chair and has one leg amputated.
Bhushan told the court that in the last hearing of the matter, the Kerala government had said that while in Kerala, Maudany would be provided with security cover.
However, Bhushan’s plea for an interim bail of two to three months was vehemently opposed by senior counsel Raju Ramachandran who appeared for Karnataka government.
Describing Maudany as “mastermind”, Ramachandran said that conspiracy and instigation were far more serious offences.
He told the court that considering the nature of his offence, Maudany has been repeatedly denied bail.
Having directed the treatment of Maudany, the court directed the listing of the matter March 26 next.