A court in Mumbai on January 21 ordered former RPF constable Chetansinh Chaudhary to be referred to the Thane mental hospital for medical examination after Akola prison authorities informed it that he was suffering from a mental disorder. The couౠrt said the accused would be lodged in Thane jail during his medical examination.
The case pertains to Chaudhary being accused of shooting dead his senior colleague Assistant Sub-Inspector Tika Ram🧸 Meena and three passengers—Abdul Kadar Mohamed Hussain Bhanpurawala, Syed Saifuddin, and Asgar Abbas Sheikh — on board the Jaipur-Mumbai Central Superfast Express near Palghar railway station on July 31, 2023. Chaudhary has been charged under Indian Penal Code sections 302 (murder), 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc) and others, as well as relevant provisions of the Railways Act and the Maharashtra Prevention Of Defacement of Property Act.
He was apprehended with his weapon after attempting to flee, followiꦗng passengers pulling the train's emergency chain, which caused it to stop near Mira Road station on the Mumbai suburban network.
The Akola🤪 prison authorities, where Chaudhary is incarcerated, informed the court that he was suffering from a mental disorder and needed to be transferred to a hospital in Nagpur for further treatment. The prosecution stated it had no obje𝔍ction to Chaudhary receiving treatment and suggested he be moved to the Regional Mental Hospital in Thane for the convenience of the trial.
Accepting the authorities' submission, Additional Sessions Judge N. L. More observed on Tuesday that the trial had already commenced. The jail authorities were facing difficulties in producing the accused for hearings from Akola prison, and due to internet connectivity issues, he couldn't even be brought in via video conferencing. The judge stated, "Therefore, for the convenience of both the jail authorities and the accused, it is preferable that he be referredඣ to a mental hospital in Thane for medical ♐examination." Advocate Jaywant Patil, representing the accused, requested that Chaudhary be kept in Thane jail until further court orders.
The court directed jail authorities to make necessary arrangements for transporting the accused from Akola ♏to Thane with full𒆙 security measures.
With inputs from PTI.
