Hiranandani hospital kidney racket: Five medicos get bail

Mumbai: A Metropolitan Magistrate on Thursday granted bail to five doctors of the LH Hiranandani Hospital who were arrested on August 9 in connection with a kidney racket.

They are: the hospital CEO Sujit Chatterjee, Medical Director Anurag Naik, medicos Mukesh Shetye, Prakash Shetty and Mukesh Shah who have been released on a bail of Rs 30,000 each with several stringent bail conditions.

They will be required to report to the police station even Monday evening till September 26 and barred from leaving the country without the court's permission.

Two days ago, on August 16, the accused doctors lawyers Aabad Ponda, Subir Kumar, Pranav Badheka and Brian D'lima had filed their bail application during a regular sitting as directed by magistrate last Saturday.

They pointed out that the police had informed the court that they did not require their further custodial interrogation, there were no financial dealings by them and since they are medicos of repute they would not abscond or tamper with evidences or witnesses.

They argued that the doctors had no role in the approval of the kidney donation and bail had already been granted to the other prime accused including the kidney donor, the intended recipient and the coordinator.

However, the public prosecutor opposed the bail on grounds that they might tamper with evidences, the racket was still being probed, and the anticipatory bail pleas of two other medicos from the hospital was rejected.

Last Friday, the Dindoshi Sessions Court had rejected the anticipatory bail application of two other medicos from the hospital -- Suwin Shetty and Veena Salekar.

On August 13, the five medicos were produced before the court at the end of their police custody and remanded to judicial custody till August 26, before their bail pleas were granted on August 18.