Jharkhand HC grants permission to ex-minister's wife to travel abroad for treatment

Ranchi: The Jharkhand High Court has allowed Madhu Singh, the wife of former minister Kamlesh Kumar Singh, to travel abroad for her medical treatment, holding it to be a fundamental right to seek medical treatment outside the country.

Justice Sanjay Kumar Dwivedi permitted her to travel to the USA and the UK for treatment.

The high court modified the conditions of bail granted to Madhu Singh on May 13, 2014, by which her passport was deposited before the lower court. She is an accused in a case registered by the CBI for disproportionate assets.

Singh pleaded before the high court that she has been cooperating in the trial of the case. From a list of 100 prosecution witnesses, only 46 witnesses have been examined so far.

The trial will take time to conclude, with the remaining 54 witnesses yet to be examined, Singh informed the court.

Stating that she is a patient suffering from chronic liver disease and medically diagnosed as being in the pre-cancer stage, she has requested the court to grant her permission to go abroad to her relatives in the United States of America and the United Kingdom for the sake of better medical treatment.

In the order, the high court on February 3 held that since Singh has not been convicted as yet and is facing trial, she should be allowed to travel abroad for the sake of her medical treatment.

Her passport has been deposited with a lower court following a condition of the bail.

The high court allowed Singh's prayer to go abroad and directed that her passport be released. She will also have to give an undertaking before the CBI court about her date of travel and return plans in advance.

The high court said that Singh will have to take prior permission from the CBI court whenever she plans to travel abroad for treatment.