Chennai: The Madras high court has adjourned by a week, a petition which sought a direction to the authorities to provide medical treatment to Murugan alias Sriharan, serving life sentence in Vellore prison for his involvement in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, who is on hunger strike in prison for more than 15 days.
A division bench comprising Justices M.M.Sundresh and RMT.Teekaa Raman before whom the petition filed by M.Thenmozhi, which sought to produce her uncle Murugan before the court and provide medical treatment to him, came up for hearing adjourned it by a week after Additional public prosecutor sought time.
When the case came up for hearing, APP submitted that now Murugan has given up his hunger strike.
Advocate M.Radhakrishnan, appearing for the petitioner requested the court to record the statement of APP and close the petition. However, APP sought time to get written instructions in this regard.
In her petition, Thenmozhi submitted that her uncle has been in prison for more than 28 years. His wife Nalini was also a live convict and was confined in the special prison for women, Vellore. As per Rule 525 of the Tamil Nadu Prison Rules, he was allowed an interview with his wife once in 15 days for about 30 minutes. Her counsel P.Pugalenthi had an interview with her uncle on October 26, 2019. She has been informed by her counsel that her uncle was kept under solitary confinement with effect from October 19, 2019 and he was not allowed even to have bath for the first four days and he was directed by way of penalty not to have any interview with any one including his wife and family members or friends for a period of 90 days. She has also been informed by her counsel that the said penalty was imposed on her uncle without following the procedure established by law. She wanted to meet her uncle in prison. Since he has not been allowed to have interview with anyone except his lawyer, she approached this court by way of HCP for a direction to the prison authorities to permit her to meet her uncle in prison. On November 1, 2019, this court ordered notice, returnable by two weeks, she added.
She said her uncle continues to be on fast demanding the prison authorities to remove him from solitary confinement and to allow him to talk to his wife. Since he has been on hunger strike for more than 15 days, he was likely to collapse at any time. He requires immediate medical treatment.
Similarly, her aunt Nalini has also been on hunger strike for more than ten days. She will also meet the same fate. Her counsel P.Pugalenthi met both of them in prison on November 2.
He found them extremely weak. According to her counsel they were unable to talk to him cogently and they were not able to walk. Her counsel told her that unless they were given immediate medical treatment their life would be in danger. Therefore, she made a representation dated November 4 to the authorities requesting them to provide medical treatment to her uncle. Since there was no response, she filed the present petition, she added.
