The Chandrapur Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court is scheduled to hear the bail application of Dr Ravinder Pal Singh, the prime accused in a sprawling nationwide kidney trafficking racket, on January 5. The hearing was deferred from an earlier date due to procedural delays.
Court Directs Police to Present Arguments
The court has issued a directive to the Chandrapur police, instructing them to place their detailed arguments on the official record during the upcoming hearing. Dr Singh was arrested in Delhi on December 29 and is alleged to have played a central role in an organized syndicate involved in the illegal sale of kidneys. This racket is suspected to have both inter-state and international connections.
Earlier, the Rohini court in Delhi had ordered Dr Singh to present himself before the Chandrapur district court by Friday. However, his legal counsel successfully secured an ad-interim bail until Saturday, arguing for more time to prepare and present their case before the local court in Chandrapur.
Procedural Delays and Expanding Investigation
Police officials stated that while they had anticipated the hearing to take place on Saturday, they received the formal court communication only on January 3. This delay pushed the proceedings to Monday. In a related development, another accused in the case, Dr Rajaratnam Govindaswamy from Tamil Nadu, has approached the Madras High Court seeking anticipatory bail. Police sources have confirmed receiving official intimation regarding his application.
The investigation has uncovered more victims, significantly expanding the scope of the case. Investigators have now traced four additional victims who were allegedly coerced or induced into selling their kidneys. This discovery brings the total number of identified victims to seven.
Surgeries in Trichy and Cambodia
According to sources, one of the newly identified victims, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, had his kidney removed at a hospital in Trichy, Tamil Nadu. Shockingly, the other three victims underwent their kidney removal surgeries in Cambodia, highlighting the international dimension of the racket. Police have stated that efforts are actively underway to identify more individuals who may have fallen prey to this illegal organ trade network.
