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Ahmedabad, August 12: A SPECIAL CBI court on Thursday issued notices to the Sabarmati Central Jail authorities, in response to applications moved by two accused persons in the Bilqis Bano gangrape case alleging that they were being harassed by jail officials.
CBI judge G B Shah admitted the applications and ordered the jail authorities to be present in the court on August 19 to give their replies to the allegations put forth by the two accused persons. Bipin Joshi, an accused in the gangrape of Bilqis and mass killings of 14 of her family members, stated in his application that he was suffering from gangrene on both legs and alleged that he was not being given adequate treatment and was being ‘‘harassed’’ by jail authorities. Joshi requested that he should be provided medical treatment by a private hospital or a private practitioner as his condition was critical. Another accused in the case, Dr Sangeeta Prasad, alleged that she was being ‘‘mentally harassed’’ by jail officials and requested that the court should probe the matter.
Advocate Arvind Pandya, who appeared on behalf of the two accused persons, contended before the court that the complaints should be considered even as the Supreme Court had taken cognizance of the complaint of the investigating CBI officer who had alleged that he was ‘‘threatened’’ by jail officials when he had gone there some time ago. The CBI court sent all the 20 accused persons to further judicial custody. |