Chennai: Expressing shock over the death of 12 among 294 inmates of St. Joseph’s Hospice, who were allegedly forcibly removed from the hospice by the authorities, the Madras high court on Tuesday ordered the Kancheepuram police to immediately hand back the custody of remaining 282 inmates to the hospice.
A division bench comprising Justices C.T.Selvam and N.Sathish Kumar also directed the Kancheepuram district social welfare officer to appear before the court on March 28 and explain the cause of death of 12 inmates.
The bench posted to March 28, further hearing of the habeas corpus petition filed by the hospice represented by its managing director V.Thomas, which sought a direction to the police to produce the 294 inmates before the court and set them at liberty.
According to Thomas, the hospice was established in 2011 with 300 beds on 17 acres of land. The concept of hospice was not a hospital, but taking care and focusing upon the critically ill and 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.
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 unknown places by the authorities. Their whereabouts were not known and they were kept in illegal custody, he added.
