Blast convict complains against jail authorities

Mumbai, Aug 24 (UNI) Imtiyaz Ghawte, one of the convicts in the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blast case and HIV positive, has accused jail authorities of contempting the Court's order which requires them to take him to the J J Hospital here for regular medical check ups.

Ghawte, who is said to be in the critical stage, moved an application before the TADA court here through his lawyer Farhana Shah, stating that he was not even being provided proper medical treatment at the Aurangabad prison.

In his application, he further said that at the time of his conviction, the court had directed the Superintendent of the Arthur Road Jail to provide him treatment at the J J Hospital where he had been undergoing treatment prior to his conviction.

The court had also directed the jail authorities to keep the convict in hygienic conditions and provide him nutritious food.

Advocate Shah, who moved the application based on a letter written to her by Ghawte from the jail, contended that neither Ghawte was being provided nutritious food nor he was being kept at a hygienic place.

The court was also told that despite its directives, Ghawte was not being provided the medicines, that had been prescribed by doctors.

Because of the unhygienic conditions Ghawte had contracted skin infections and was steadily losing weight, the application added.

The court has directed the Superintendent of the Aurangabad jail to file a reply in this matter.

UNI