Yes Bank founder Rana Kapoor appeals for bail, says he may contract COVID-19 in jail

Arrested Yes Bank founder Rana Kapoor, on Thursday moved a bail application in court claiming that he was at the risk of contracting Coronavirus while being kept under judicial custody. In his plea filed by his lawyer Subash Jadhav, he stated that his persisting medical conditions put him in the higher risk category and contracting the novel Coronavirus could result in his death. The plea also mentioned that Rana had bronchial asthma since childhood, and he was on inhalers, which put him at high risk of a severe lung infection if he contracted COVID-19.

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Kapoor claimed that he was suffering a chronic immunodeficiency syndrome, which causes recurrent lung, sinus and skin infections. Apart from this, he was also a patient of severe hypertension, anxiety, and depression for the last 18 months. 

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Stating that the novel disease affected people over 60 years of age, with persisting respiratory illnesses, the plea stated that staying in jail could prove to be fatal for Rana Kapoor. “It is submitted that the aforesaid disease requires the applicant to consume carefully monitored and home-cooked food in order to combat and control the said disease. The applicant is also required to stay at home,” the plea said.

The PMLA court, before which the plea was filed, has posted the matter for hearing on Monday along with directing officials of Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai, where Kapoor is lodged, to submit his medical records.

Kapoor was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) earlier this month. According to the ED, loans of Rs 30,000 crore were given by Yes Bank when Kapoor was at its helm, and of these, advances of Rs 20,000 crore became bad loans.

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(With PTI Inputs)