Mumbai Court permits Naresh Goyal to visit wife, undergo medical checkup by private doctors

A Mumbai court has permitted Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal to visit his wife and also consult private doctors for medical checkup. [Naresh Goyal v. Enforcement Directorate].The order was passed by special judge MG Deshpande on January 9 a few days after Goyal broke down in court.Goyal was permitted to see his wife on January 13 and visit five private doctors for his specialised needs between January 10 and January 12.The judge permitted Goyal to visit his wife considering she was bedridden and suffering from cancer.“His only daughter is also reportedly not well to look after her mother. In this way, accused and his wife have become orphan. In such situation feeling to meet the ailing wife once is quite natural”, the Court said.Goyal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on September 1 in a case registered basis FIR of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which itself was based on a complaint by Canara Bank for an alleged fraud involving ₹7,000 crores.Goyal approached the sessions court for bail after the Bombay High Court rejected his plea challenging his arrest and seeking his release..Goyal broke down in Court on January 6 and requested the special court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) not to provide him any medical treatment saying he has lost all hope in life and would rather die in prison.Goyal, who is in judicial custody in connection with a money laundering case, appeared before the special court for bail through video conference hearing.Goyal told the Court that he had to wait in long queues at the government-run JJ Hospital during his visits and yet there was no certainty of his check-up.He, therefore, said that he would rather stay in prison instead of being taken up for medical check up at the government hospital. .The Court in its January 9 order opined that Goyal’s application deserved to be allowed considering the genuineness of Goyal’s submissions and the limitations within Arthur Road jail to meet his health issues.“No prejudice will be caused if he is permitted to attend his private doctors and get himself examined, diagnosed properly and correctly and fixing the schedule of treatment by his private doctors. Health is precious and getting proper treatment is his valuable right. ED cannot oppose the same and can depute their officer in case the accused is taken out of jail for referring him to his private doctors. In this background, I am of the opinion that the application deserves to be allowed,” the Court ordered..The Court permitted Goyal to see doctors including a cardiac specialist, a dentist and an orthopaedist.The Court also specified that the doctors attending Goyal should not admit him to hospital straightaway without taking the Court's prior permission..Senior advocate Aabad Ponda and advocates Ameet Naik, Abhishek Kale, Harish Khedekar and Parikshit briefed by Naik Naik & Co. appeared for Goyal.Special Public Prosecutor Sunil Gonsalves appeared for ED.[Read Order]