Payal Tadvi Suicide : Bombay HC Allows Partial Custody Of Accused To Crime Branch

The Bombay High Court on Thursday refused to grant the crime branch full custody of the three doctors who are accused of abetting the suicide of Payal Tadvi, a 26-year-old second-year MD student at Mumbai's TN Topivala National Medical College.

Justice SS Shinde granted partial custody of Ankita Khandelwal, Hema Ahuja and Bhakti Mehare. These three women are resident doctors studying in the third year and were a year senior to the deceased Payal Tadvi.

Special Public Prosecutor Raja Thakare appeared on behalf of the State of Maharashtra, the petitioner and Abad Ponda appeared on behalf of the respondents.

Ponda took instructions from his clients and submitted that respondents will not press for bail application till June 10, 2019. Further, he stated that respondents have no objection if they are taken out on June 6 from Byculla Jail between 2 pm till 6 pm for interrogation. Also, from tomorrow June 7, 2019 the concerned Investigating Officer and his team can take out respondents from 9 am till 6 pm for three days for interrogation. However, respondents should be brought back to the said jail at 6 pm, Ponda said.

Court accepted the submissions and allowed such partial custody of the accused for interrogation.

The doctors who have been in judicial custody until this point, will now be interrogated by the crime branch. The case was transferred to the Crime Branch from the Agripada police station on May 30. The next day, it was heard before the city civil and sessions court and the accused were remanded in judicial custody.

The accused allegedly tormented Tadvi about her tribe, consequently abetting her suicide. On May 22, Tadvi hung herself in her hostel room. She belonged to the Tadvi Bhil Muslim community, a Scheduled Tribe.

(Image sourced from here)