NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has granted interim bail to Hari Om Rai, MD of Lava Mobile International, in a money laundering case after taking note of his medical conditions and highlighting the “delicate balance between life and death in cardiac emergencies” which underscore the prioritization and specialized care needed in such cases.Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma said the life threatening nature of coronary artery disease or cardiac related issues cannot be equated with other categories of illnesses.Each passing moment in the face of cardiac distress is fraught with the peril of irreversible harm, the court said, adding in case of any eventuality that may occur in an applicant not getting proper and specialised treatment, the court will have to bear the “weight of regret.”Allowing three months interim bail to Rai, who was arrested in a money laundering case by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on October 9 last year, Justice Sharma said his conditions would fall within the category of “sick” under Section 45 of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and he must be given an opportunity to get himself treated in the hospital of his choice.Such medical conditions have the potential to precipitate life-threatening events at any moment, and thus, they stand unparalleled in their urgency and criticality, the order asserted.The ED argued that the medical condition of the applicant is not of such nature which warrants grant of interim bail on medical grounds.In the order, the court said, “There is no doubt about the fact that the treatment which the applicant requires at this stage, especially the one relating to his spinal and cardiac/heart related issues cannot be provided to him in the jail dispensary since the prisons are non-equipped to deal with such situations as they lack appropriate machines and equipment required to carry out such procedures.”The court took note that besides the cardiac health of the applicant, the latest medical reports reveal that he is also suffering from several orthopedic and neurological issues, including pain in his spine and neck, tingling and numbness in bilateral lower limb, etc. and he has been advised MRIs by the hospital concerned.It was also pointed out by the court that Rai has been referred to the jail referral hospital on multiple occasions but there was delay in administering required treatment to him citing an instance of his spine MRI which is scheduled after a period of one-and-a-half years in 2025.
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