A special court on Saturday allowed the police to interrogate inside jail the three women doctors who have been arrested for allegedly abetting the suicide of a junior colleague by tormenting her with casteist slurs at a civic-run hospital.
Doctors Hema Ahuja, Ankita Khandelwal and Bhakti Meher are currently in judicial custody and imprisoned in Byculla Jail. The Mumbai Police’s Crime Branch, which is probing the case, filed an application before the court through special public prosecutor Raja Thakare seeking permission to interrogate the accused.
Cops to recover photos
The police said the interrogation was necessary following the recovery of pictures from junior doctor Payal Tadvi’s phone of the purported suicide note. Pictures of the suicide note and photos of the accused were found in the victim’s mobile phone during forensic examination of the device.
The application said, “The police need to probe the sequence of events from the time Tadvi’s body was taken from her room to the trauma centre.” The three accused were the first persons to open the doctor’s room following the suicide. The police had earlier said the accused had gone back to Tadvi’s room within five to seven minutes after the body was taken to the trauma centre. It is suspected the suicide note was destroyed by the accused at this time.
There is also a need to interrogate the accused for recovery of passwords of their phones and social media accounts, the police told court. Defence lawyer Shailesh Kharat said they have no objection if the accused are questioned inside the jail. Judge P.B. Jadhav then permitted the investigating officer to interrogate the three accused in jail between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. from Monday to Friday.
Meanwhile, the judicial custody of the accused was extended by another 14 days. Tadvi (26), a second year post-graduate medical student attached to BYL Nair Hospital, was found dead in her hostel room on May 22. Tadvi’s family accused her seniors of ragging and hurling casteist abuses at her. The charges have been denied by the accused.
The accused had been booked under sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Maharashtra Prohibition of Ragging Act and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
