CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Thursday granted conditional bail to seven people including the founders of Anbu Jothi Ashram in Villupuram district.
Justice AD Jagadish Chandra ordered bail to Jubin Baby, founder of the ashram, his wife Maria Jubin and five others. The accused will have to stay in Chennai and appear daily before CB-CID to sign the relevant papers. The bail was granted as the investigation agency made very little progress in the probe even after two months since the accused were arrested.
The counsel appearing for CB-CID opposed the bail saying that they had to be interrogated for alleged charges of human organ theft and misuse of funds. He had also submitted that 34 of the 167 inmates of the ashram, run at Kundalipuliyoor in Villupuram district, were handed back to their relatives, 28 were sent to the Institute of Mental Health, Kilpauk, and the remaining were sent to other homes.
However, the counsel for Jubin and others countered that the ashram was being run for 25 years with due permission and the allegations were made on the basis of assumptions and suspicions.