SC REFUSES TO GRANT BAIL TO SAJJAN KUMAR IN 1984 RIOTS CASE
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to grant interim bail sought on health grounds to former Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, who is serving life imprisonment in an 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, saying as per the medical records his condition is stable and improving. The apex court, which dealt with the submission advanced by Kumar’s counsel that the former MP be allowed to undergo treatment at a private hospital at his own cost, observed that he cannot be treated as a “super VIP patient”.
“You are feeling he is the only patient in the country to be examined. He is one of the patients,” a bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M M Sundresh told the counsel representing Kumar.
Observing that Kumar was accused of “heinous crime”, the bench further said, “You want him to be treated as some kind of a super VIP patient. That is what is happening.” At the outset, Kumar’s counsel referred to the medical records and said he was examined by the doctors at a government hospital here and the report says his condition has improved and he needed few more days of hospital care.
He said Kumar was earlier treated by a doctor at a private hospital and he could be treated there, even being in custody, at his own cost. “No. Sorry. He is being looked after here,” the bench said. In September last year, the apex court had dismissed Kumar’s plea seeking interim bail on health grounds. Kumar is serving life imprisonment after the Delhi HC had convicted him and others in the case on December 17, 2018.