Rakesh Wadhawan was arrested for money laundering in the PMC bank scam (File)
The Bombay High Court has asked the Maharashtra government to inform the court if any state-run hospital in Mumbai has "pacemaker implantation facility" that can be provided to businessman Rakesh Wadhawan accused of money laundering in the Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative (PMC) Bank fraud case.
In an order passed Friday, a single bench presided over by Justice Bharati Dangre asked the state prison authorities to inform it of the same by September 28.
The bench said if the facility is not available in any government hospital, then Wadhawan will have to be granted the option of undergoing the procedure at a private hospital of his choice and the expenses for it will have to be borne by him.
The High Court noted that Wadhawan's heart condition is "acute" and issued directions after perusing medical reports submitted by the city-based KEM Hospital, where Wadhawan is currently admitted, and by a private doctor who had visited Wadhawan at the hospital with the court's permission.
As per his medical reports, Wadhawan is suffering from multiple health ailments, including a heart condition known as the 'Tachy-Brady Syndrome'. The heart condition requires Wadhawan to undergo an angioplasty for implanting a dual chamber pacemaker, Wadhawan's lawyer Abad Ponda told the court.
As per the order, the KEM authorities told the High Court that such a facility was not available at their hospital.
"The assistant public prosecutor is directed to take instructions on the availability of the facility in any government hospital in Mumbai. If not, to offer an alternate solution, since the prayer made by learned senior counsel is that the procedure can be carried out by a private hospital of his own choice and at his expenses, while in custody," the High Court said.
Rakesh Wadhawan, founder of the Housing Development Infrastructure Limited, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in 2019 on charges of money laundering in the PMC bank scam.
He has been in judicial custody since then, and currently admitted at the KEM Hospital.