Delhi court seeks details from Rohini jail on treatment provided to COVID-19 patient

A Delhi court has directed the Jail Superintendent of Rohini prison to file a detailed report about the treatment being provided to an accused there who has tested positive for COVID-19.

Additional Sessions Judge Neelofer Abida Parveen passed the directions on Saturday while hearing bail application by the accused and sought the report by June 3, next date of hearing.

The jail official has been asked to provide a detailed report about the health condition of the accused, as well as the treatment provided to him.

The report will also highlight whether the accused has been kept in an isolation ward or has been transferred to a hospital that has been notified as COVID-19 facility, the court said.

According to the bail application, the accused is in judicial custody since April 27, 2019 and currently undergoing treatment in the jail itself.

While opposing the bail application, the public prosecutor told the court that since the accused has been tested positive for COVID-19, he needs to be quarantined and not released on interim bail.

“Since the accused lives in a single room with his parents and two sisters, it would not be possible for him to maintain social distancing,” he told the court.

The prosecutor further added that the accused lives in Nabi Karim, Paharganj, which is a designated hotspot/ containment zone for COVID-19.

According to reports, as many as 16 inmates and one jail staff of Rohini jail were found COVID positive.