Jailed Saravana Bhavan owner Rajagopal suffers heart attack; condition critical
What's the story
Saravana Bhavan restaurant chain owner P Rajagopal, who is convicted and sentenced to a life term in a murder case, suffered a heart attack on Saturday. The 72-year-old is on ventilator supporter at the government-run Stanley Medical College Hospital in Chennai and his health is deteriorating, according to the doctors. Rajagopal is serving a life sentence for the murder of his employee. Here's more.
Details
His health is poor; we are closely monitoring him: Doctor
"Rajagopal has diabetes, blood-pressure, and kidney-related issues. Therefore, his health is poor now. We are closely monitoring him," a senior doctor said on Sunday. Rajagopal surrendered before a Chennai sessions court on July 8 to serve life term in the murder case and had reached the court from Vijaya Hospital in an ambulance. He was admitted to the government-run hospital the same day.
Critical condition
Rajagopal is in ICU and on ventilator: Resident Medical Officer
"While at Stanley, he got a heart attack on Saturday night... As of Sunday night, he was in critical condition and doctors are continuously watching him," Rajagopal's advocate Muthukannaiyan was quoted as saying by TheNewsMinute. Stanley's Resident Medical Officer, Dr. P Ramesh said, "He is in an extremely critical condition. His kidneys are also failing...he is in the ICU and on the ventilator."
Murder case
Rajagopal found guilty of ordering abduction, murder of his employee
In 2004, Rajagopal was sentenced to 10-year imprisonment. The sessions court found him guilty of ordering the abduction and murder of Prince Santhakumar, his employee, in 2001 to marry his widow. He appealed against the sentence in Madras HC, which, in 2009, concluded his sentence was too light and sentenced him for life. However, he later appealed against the verdict in the Supreme Court.
SC's order
SC ordered Rajagopal to surrender on July 7
The Supreme Court, however, upheld Rajagopal's life imprisonment and gave him time until July 7, 2019, to surrender to serve the sentence due to his health issues. However, he failed to surrender on July 7 and later filed a plea on July 8, seeking an extension for his surrender. The apex court refused to grant the extension and directed him to surrender immediately.
Information
Rajagopal's son files plea to shift him to private hospital
Meanwhile, Rajagopal's son filed a habeas corpus petition in the Madras HC seeking to shift him from the government-run hospital to a private hospital, citing his worsening health. The additional public prosecutor, representing Tamil Nadu's government, said he would get the instructions by July 16.