MADURAI: A 63-year-old undertrial prisoner with alleged Maoist ties has sought an extension of stay at the Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) after undergoing an open heart surgery at the healthcare facility last week. M Vennila, the wife of the prisoner -- K Mahalingam alias Nondi Mahalingam (63) -- in a petition to the GRH Dean, alleged that the Q Branch police personnel have been indirectly pressuring the doctors to discharge her husband from the facility soon, so he could be lodged in prison.
Sources said that Mahalingam has been suffering from cardiac-related ailments over the last several years. Mahalingam's advocate, S Raja, said the man was arrested in Thrissur, Kerala, in July 2016, for alleged involvement in arms training on the Varusanadu Hills in Theni district in 2007.
He has been an undertrial prisoner since 2016. As his health condition deteriorated, we filed a bail petition with the Principal Sessions Judge in Theni, but it was rejected. So, we applied for bail in the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court and produced a certificate given by the Madurai Central Prison's assistant civil surgeon. The Madurai court directed the prison superintendent to admit Mahalingam at the GRH on April 3. But, after surgery, the police pressured the doctors, so we had to submit a petition to the dean in this regard," added the advocate.
In the petition, Vennila said that, after the surgical procedure, her husband was transferred to a ward, and he is unable to walk and needs help from the attendant for everything. However, the Q Branch police are indirectly pressuring the doctors to discharge him, she claimed.
Meanwhile, GRH Dean Dr Arul Sundaresh Kumar told TNIE, "We have received the petition and directed the head of the Cardiothoracic Department to determine the fitness of the patient. One must note that the patient's medical condition is only assessed by the doctors. As the patient has been under post-operative care for the past few days, we will take appropriate action based on his fitness and well-being," adding that the patient would not be immediately discharged at any cost.