Chennai: The St Joseph’s Hospice at Paleswaram in Kancheepuram district has approached the Madras high court to restore its 294 inmates allegedly forcibly removed by authorities, back to the hospice.
In his habeas corpus petition, the hospice represented by its managing director V.Thomas sought a direction to the police to produce the 294 inmates before the court and set them at liberty.
He said the hospice was established in 2011 with 300 beds on 17 acres of land. The concept of hospice was not hospital, but taking care and focusing upon the critically ill, terminable patients by giving them the environment of treating the sick, wounded or dying. The intention of the hospice was to take care and protect the interest of dying destitute, who were abandoned or orphaned by their family at public places.
While so, a local politician G.Karunakaran had developed a nexus with a local contractor, who constructed the hospice, and demanded money illegally from him. Since he refused to give the same, he instigated the authorities and made complaints against him.
Pursuant to this, the inmates of the hospice were shifted to some unknown places by the authorities.
Their whereabouts were not known and they were kept in illegal custody, he added.
