A sessions court in Ahmedabad on Friday dismissed the discharge applications submitted by the directors and chief executive officer of Khyati Hospital, including Kartik Patel, in connection with the allegedly unnecessary angioplasties conducted under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) scheme. The procedures allegedly led to the deaths of two patients in 2024.
Court Proceedings
Additional Sessions Judge A S Vyas at the Ahmedabad rural court refused to discharge the hospital director, non-executive directors, and CEO — Kartik Patel, Rajshree Kothari, Sanjay Patolia, and Rahul Jain.
Background of the Case
Earlier, the court had rejected their discharge pleas on the grounds of delay in filing. However, the Gujarat High Court in March directed the trial court to hear the discharge applications on their merits. While instructing the trial court to reexamine the discharge pleas, the High Court ruled that an accused may file a discharge application within a 60-day period ordinarily, but beyond 60 days, the right to seek discharge is not extinguished if the delay is satisfactorily explained.
Prosecution's Arguments
Special prosecutor Vijay Barot strongly opposed the discharge pleas. He submitted that a chargesheet spanning 6,070 pages had been filed in this case, containing statements from 30 key witnesses, including seven recorded before judicial magistrates. Barot further argued that poor patients were made to undergo procedures under the guise of illness, and these procedures were performed without medical justification to generate substantial financial gains.
