NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader HLK.L. Bhagat was arrested from his residence last week and remanded to judicial custody for 14 days, The Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ), at the heavily barricaded Karkardooma courts, also rejected his bail application.

The 75year old former Union Minister, however, developed sudden chest pain in midst of the court proceedings and lay down on a table. A doctor accompanying him checked his blood pressure and found it \o be at an inordinately low 8050. He was then taken to the G.B, Pant Hospital for a detailed medical examination, where he was being kept under observation for 24 hours.

In his 17page order, delivered at 6:30 pm, AS) S.N. Dhingra said, “It is normally seen that politicians, who are strong enough (o contest elections to become ministers and work for long hours in public offices, before infirm and sick when they have to face trials, However, without going into the merits of his sickness, I consider that the accused be given all medical aid.”

The Delhi High Court had earlier rejected Mr, Bhagat’s petition for cancellation of the nonsalable warrants against him. Justice Jaspal Singh had ‘stated that there was a primafacle ground for initiating legal action against the Congress leader on the basis of Satnami Bai’s testimony. She has alleged that Mr. Bhagat led a violent mob in East Delhi which lynched her husband to death during the 1984 riots.

As per the judgment last week, Mr, Bhagat will remain in the hospital “so long as necessary.” After he recovers. And is fit to be lodged in a jail, he will be taken to the Central Tihar Jail.

Coming down heavily upon the contention of Mr. Bhagat’s counsel that it was a political conspiracy, the ASJ said: “Politicians’ trial in a criminal case is nothing buta political event and they try 10 get mileage out of such cases, “Giving reasons for rejecting the bail, sought on grounds of illness, infirmity and old age, the judge said:” The accused has got the potential of subverting the evidence and threatening the witnesses. There is real danger to the safety of the witness.” He also upbraided Mr, Bhagat for his “veiled threats through press statements ‘of engineering a riot.” Stating that these were in bad taste, he observed that the accused who can threaten a riot has the potential to go to any extent for deterring the witnesses from appearing in the court.” The judge had also pulled up Mr, Bhagat and asked him to “behave like an accused” when the Congress leader greeted him with a loud ‘Namaste.’ Mr. Bhagat greeted Mr, Dhingra as soon as he entered but it apparently went unnoticed. Then, to get his attention, Mr. Bhagat stood on a table and shouted Sarkar, Namaste to sun lo. His attempts at lightheartedness clearly did not impress the ASJ the Intensive Coronary Care Unit (ICCU) of the G.B. Pant Hospital became a virtual fortress when Mr. Bhagat was wheeled in. Security men had to be called in to keep out a large crowd of curious onlookers.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (riot cell) Rajeev Ranjan, who brought the ‘Congress leader to the hospital form the courts, said, “Mr. Bhagat was fine in the morning. This appears to be the result of too much jostling and pushing #round in the courts and the fact that he had to stand for more than one hour.”

Congress MP Sajjan Kumar came to the hospital almost immediately and stayed with Mr. Bhagat for some time.

Article extracted from this publication >>  January 31, 1996