VIJAYAWADA: The Supreme Court on Monday allowed the medical examination of rebel YSRC MP K Raghu Rama Krishnam Raju, who was arrested by the Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (CID) for his alleged hate speeches, at the Army Hospital at Secunderabad in neighbouring Telangana. Raghu Rama Krishnam Raju had earlier told the Andhra Pradesh High Court that he was tortured in police
custody.
A division bench of the SC comprising Justice Vineet Saran and Justice BR Gavai passed the order on a Special Leave Petition filed by the MP against the Andhra Pradesh High Court refusing bail.
While passing the orders, the bench said the petitioner will be taken to the Army Hospital, Secunderabad, for examination and the same would be treated as judicial custody. The bench also said the High Court of Telangana will nominate a judicial officer who will be with the petitioner during the examination.
The bench also directed the Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh as well as the Registrar General of the Telangana High Court to carry out its orders. The bench said that the MP's examination will be videographed and the medical reports should be submitted to the court in a sealed cover and posted the matter for further hearing to May 21.
According to the SC orders, the MP must be taken to the Army Hospital, Secunderabad, on Monday itself and the expenses of the treatment must be borne by the MP.
The AP High Court had on Sunday asked the CID to implement the lower court orders to shift Raghu Rama Krishnam Raju to a private hospital in Guntur. After the Medical Board constituted by the AP High Court examined the MP to check the veracity of the allegations that he was tortured in police custody, the CID officials shifted Raghu Rama Krishnam Raju to prison instead of a private hospital in Guntur for treatment.
The CID officials did so based on the earlier order of the High Court itself constituting the Medical Board. The court had left the matter of deciding whether to treat the MP as an in-patient to the Board. Since the Board found the MP to be in perfect health, the CID officials shifted him to the prison.
Reacting to the SC order, government sources pointed out that the government had nothing to do with his medical examination as it did not oppose this in the High Court.