Set up board to ascertain medical condition of DSP Joshi, rules high court

SHIMLA: The Himachal Pradesh high court on Saturday, ordered the Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) to constitute a medical board to ascertain health condition of deputy superitendent of police Manoj Joshi.

The order was passed by justice Sandeep Sharma while hearing the bail plea of Joshi, who is an accused in the custodial death of Suraj — A Nepalese labourer arrested in the Kotkhai rape and murder case.

The IGMC principal was directed to constitute a medical board comprising senior doctors within four days. Justice Sharma also directed that the board shall complete the medical examination within three days of constitution of the board and file the status report.

The principal has also been directed to inform the applicant about the date of medical examination in written.

Joshi filed the bail application in the high court seeking release on medical ground. In the petition, Joshi has pleaded that he underwent a hernia surgery. That he was later admitted to the IGMC due to severe stomach ache and doctors have recommended a surgery to remove kidney stone.

It is pleaded in the bail application that the applicant is suffering from multiple ailments and should be released on bail for better treatment.

Besides, he is also suffering with a rectum related disease and needs to shift to infectionfree place, the plea states.

The next date of hearing has been fixed on June 15.

A 16-year-old girl was raped in Kotkhai area of Shimla district. A special investigation team (SIT) of the state police arrested five people in the case. Joshi, the then DSP of Theog, was also a member of the team. Later, the death of one of the alleged accused Suraj, a Nepalese labourer, triggered violent protests across the state after which the case was handed over to the CBI.

The CBI arrested eight cops, including IG Zahur Haider Zaidi, and Joshi on August 30 in custodial death case. Since then, they are behind bars.

THE DSP, ACCUSED IN THE CUSTODIAL DEATH OF A NEPALESE LABOURER, HAS APPLIED FOR BAIL ON MEDICAL GROUNDS