A DELHI court on Monday denied the extension of interim bail on medical grounds to former Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) chief Dr Vatsala Aggarwal, the primary accused in the alleged Rs 700-crore medical supplies procurement fraud case.
Aggarwal was earlier granted interim bail on humanitarian grounds on August 18 for four weeks. She had sought extension of interim bail for six weeks.
In his order on Monday, Special Judge Vidya Prakash at Rouse Avenue Court said, "A careful perusal of Discharge Summary...would show that she is not suffering from any life-threatening disease and she can very well be treated with such medical ailments inside the jail premises itself."
He added, "There is no substance in the argument raised on behalf of applicant/accused that she has been directed to avoid crowded places in view of her immunocompromised status, and thus, it would be difficult for her to avoid crowds inside the jail premises, if her interim bail is not extended. In order to provide congenial atmosphere and to ensure immunocompromised status of applicant/accused inside the jail, appropriate direction(s) can always be issued by the Court, which includes but not limited to take all necessary precautions and to provide all necessary medical treatment to the applicant/accused inside the jail premises itself."
During her admission, Aggarwal was found to have a severe blood infection and a fall in blood pressure. Her counsel had argued in court that her discharge summary had told the "immunocompromised patient to avoid crowded places, which cannot be reconciled with confinement in a prison barrack".
The discharge summary said that she was suffering from "chronic bronchial asthma with community-acquired infection (Jail)", mixed sleep apnea, type II Diabetes and hypertension.
While denying her relief, the court gave directions to the Jail Superintendent to make necessary arrangements for her stay. "...concerned Jail Superintendent shall also make necessary arrangements of adaptive Servo Ventilation with nocturnal oxygen therapy, as and when so required, inside the jail premises. Needless to mention here that in case it is not possible to do so, then, concerned Jail Superintendent shall ensure that the applicant/accused is immediately taken to a government hospital having such facility," the Judge said.
The primary accused in the alleged Rs 700-crore medical procurement fraud are Aggarwal, former Central Procurement Agency (CPA) Deputy Controller of Accounts Neeraj Chopra and Dr Vinod Kumar Ranga, the former Head of Office CPA. The case began with a Vigilance Department complaint that was converted into an FIR on June 2, and revolves around widespread irregularities, manipulated tenders, and the siphoning of public funds meant for medicines, surgical items, and hospital equipment. The alleged irregularities first came to light in May this year when the Vigilance department conducted raids after receiving complaints at the offices of the CPA, which is the nodal agency responsible for procuring and supplying medicines, vaccines and medical equipment to Delhi government hospitals and healthcare facilities.
The Rouse Avenue Court's message is blunt: jail is not a reason for bail, it is where treatment can be given. From bronchial asthma to sleep apnea, the court found nothing life-threatening that jail hospital plus adaptive servo ventilation cannot handle. This is part of a larger judicial pushback against medical bail as default for white-collar accused. In a Rs 700-crore case involving manipulated tenders for medicines meant for government hospitals, sympathy is thin. The court is saying — if you could run CPA from a crowded office, you can be treated in a crowded barrack.