Court asks police to verify Sharma's medical reports

New Delhi, July 27 (UNI) The Delhi High Court today directed the Delhi Police to verify the medical reports of Shivani Bhatnagar murder prime accused R K Sharma, who had applied for three month's interim bail to undergo spinal cord treatment.

Justice B D Ahmed asked the prosecution to verify the medical reports and file a report by August 3, the next date of hearing.

Sharma, who has been in judicial custody since September 27, 2002, has sought interim bail to undergo treatment at the Silver Oaks Hospital in Chandigarh, where he was operated upon on his spinal cord in October 2005 at his own cost in police custody.

The doctors at the AIIMS had diagnosed that Sharma needed medical treatment as the surgery in the Silver Oaks Hospital had failed, said the application.

''When the conditions of Sharma did not improve, he was taken to the AIIMS on May 4, 2006. The Doctors prescribed an MRI of cervical and lumberi spine and the MRI would be conducted on November 22, 2006,'' said the petition.

Unless the MRI was done the treatment could not be started. He could not wait till November 2006 to receive the treatment, said the petition praying for early release.

The petition stated that due to post-operative negligence in the jail, the problem reoccurred and he was getting pains both in spinal cord and neck.

Counsel S K Saxena appearing for Delhi Police had opposed the move of the accused for seeking treatment at the private hospital in Mohali saying he could be operated upon at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in the capital.

He along with five others- Pradeep Sharma, Sri Bhagwan, Satya Prakash, Ved Prakash Sharma and Ved alias Kalu - are facing trial in the murder of Indian Express journalist Shivani Bhatnagar.

The journalist was found murdered at her East Delhi apartment on January 23, 1999.

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