Baba’s sister seeks nod for his treatment at pvt hospital

The Madras High Court on Monday directed the prisons and police departments to file their responses by February 11 on an application preferred by self-styled godman Siva Shankar Baba’s sister G Jayalakshmi, who sought permission to take her jailed brother to a private hospital for treatment at her own expense. Baba was arrested on charges of sexually harassing students of the school he runs, and was sent in judicial custody last June.

Justice AD Jagadish Chandira issued the direction to the prisons and police departments while hearing the petitioner who sought directions the departments to disclose her brother’s medical reports and permit her to take him to a private hospital for treatment. She submitted that Baba was found unconscious inside the prison on January 22, and was taken to Government Stanley Medical College Hospital for treatment.

“I made a representation to the prisons department to allow us to treat my brother in a specialised hospital at our own cost. Even as the Madras High Court on November 25 held that if any medical emergency occurred, my brother could be treated in a specialised hospital in Chennai at his own cost, my representation was not considered by the respondents,” the petitioner submitted.

She claimed that her brother should be treated in a private hospital as he recently had massive heart attacks. She added Baba has various other ailments, including heart disease, diabetes, blood clots in the brain, stroke and eye-related issues.

Recording the submissions, the judge asked the departments to respond by February 11. The CB-CID had arrested Baba in New Delhi after a case was registered against him following complaints from several girls who studied in his school that he sexual harassed them. Subsequently, a special court in Chengalpattu remanded him to judicial custody on June 17.