Kochi, March 19 The Kerala High Court on Wednesday orally expressed its ire at the rise in cases of influential accused securing bail on medical grounds and calling it "medical tourism".
The court's oral observation came while it considered the bail pleas of the two main accused in the now infamous Kerala CSR funds scam, which, according to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, has an extent of Rs 231 crore, and has 48,384 people falling victim. As many as 1,343 cases have been registered till now.
So far, two arrests have been made, which include 28-year-old Ananthu Krishnan, the alleged mastermind behind the massive scam and K.N. Anand Kumar, Chairman of the NGO Confederation and a well-known social activist in Kerala.
When the bail pleas came up, the counsel for Anand Kumar informed the court that he was in a hospital due to cardiac issues and sought bail on medical grounds. It was then the judge orally remarked: "I will not entertain that medical ground, unless the prosecutor says that medical facility is not available in jail…Influential people's bail applications in Kerala are becoming medical tourism...you tell me if he needs any other medical (treatment) that is not available in the jail."
The court then pointed out the case of BJP leader PC George who secured bail on medical grounds in a hate speech case. "...After release, his son said I am so happy to the complainants because my father usually does not go to hospital. This is medical tourism. His son gave an open statement to the media that 'I am so happy'. That is indirectly for the judiciary. This is medical tourism in Kerala," the judge said.
The scam, executed by a team led by the now two arrested involved deceiving victims by offering high-value consumer products -- such as scooters, laptops, and sewing machines -- at half the market price under the guise of a CSR initiative.
The court has now asked Anand Kumar's counsel to either show that the treatment he requires is not available in jail or argue the case on grounds other than medical reasons and posted the case for further hearing on Thursday, when the orders for the bail pleas are expected.
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