Dismissed Mumbai Police officer Sachin Vaze has filed an application seeking directions to shift him to Wockhardt hospital in Mumbai Central for his treatment and surgery. He is currently admitted at a private hospital in Bhiwandi, Thane for treatment of his heart ailment.
Vaze (49) was shifted to SS Hospital and Research Centre in Bhiwandi town of Thane district from the Taloja central jail in Navi Mumbai where he had been lodged under judicial custody.
Vaze, through his lawyer, senior advocate Sudeep Pasbola, had earlier told the court that three of his arteries had "90 per cent blockage" and that doctors had advised immediate surgery for the same.
He had urged the court to permit him to seek private medical treatment, saying he did not wish to "die in custody like (tribal rights activist and Jesuit priest) Stan Swamy".
The NIA had sought further custody of Vaze and a co-accused, saying it required to question them to corroborate statements of witnesses.
Advocate Pasbola, however, objected to the same and said doctors at government-run JJ Hospital, where Vaze had been earlier this month, had advised him to undergo a bypass surgery without any delay.
Pasbola produced three medical reports to show Vaze's need for immediate medical aid. He said nothing was more important than a person's life and added the investigation will be futile if the person does not survive.
The judge, while allowing Vaze to get admitted to a private hospital, directed the Taloja prison superintendent to submit his medical report before the court every 15 days.
An explosives-laden vehicle was found near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's south Mumbai residence 'Antilia' on February 25. The vehicle owner Hiran, a Thane businessman who had claimed his car was stolen, was found dead in a creek on March 5.
The NIA claimed Vaze was involved in the planting of the explosives and Hiran's murder, and arrested him on March 13. He was later dismissed from police service.
