Court on Atiq-ur Rehman's Serious Health: Refer Him to Better Hospital if Needed

The UAPA accused's counsel issued a statement on 22 September saying his health condition was very serious.

Atiq-ur-Rehman, a resident of Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, is admitted in the Mathura district jail hospital. He was arrested along with journalist Siddique Kappan and seven others after a Dalit girl in UP's Hathras died after being raped. His condition is stated to be serious.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint/Erum Gour)

A special court for PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) cases in Lucknow passed an order directing the Mathura jail to provide proper treatment to UAPA accused Atiq-ur Rehman. It further said that if required 'the accused be referred to some higher/better medical centre for proper treatment'.

The counsel for the accused moved court on 23 September a day after after Rehman was admitted to a hospital in Agra following a rapid deterioration in his health condition.

The UP Police's Special Task Force booked Rehman and seven others, including journalist Siddique Kappan, under various stringent sections of the IPC like sedition and promoting enmity between groups. They have also been booked under the anti-terror law called the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, which makes bail nearly impossible for the accused. They have also been booked under the PMLA Act.

His lawyer advocate Saifan said, "Atiq-ur's health condition is very serious. Medical treatment is the basic right of an accused. Since, he was booked under the draconian UAPA, while struggling between life and death, he was forced to wait for a month. Apart from this, a medical emergency application was also filed by his Lucknow lawyer Sheeran M Alvi before the PMLA Court."

After hearing the plea, the order which has been accessed by The Quint, details how Rehman's lawyer told the court that he had a severe cardiac ailment and was under treatment at AIIMS in New Delhi for several years. "This applicant is a patient of severe Aortic Regurgitation meaning destruction of aortic wall and is a known pre-condition of cardiac arrest. Hence, the applicant be referred to AIIMS," the order reads.

The court went on to direct the Mathura jail authorities to provide him proper care and ensure that adequate medial facilities are provided to him.

It also called for a report of his medical condition from the concerned medical centre/hospital. The next date of hearing in the matter is 12 October.

"A month before he was arrested in October 2020, he was told to get a Bentall procedure to replace the aortic valve from the doctor in AIIMS. Which is why we moved a plea to get him interim bail for 60 days, so he could get surgery in AIIMS," Mateen explains. Explaining what happens to Rehman when he falls sick, Mateen said, "He gets anxious, he is unable to breathe, and his hands and legs begin to shiver. He sweats profusely and is unable to talk. We have taken him to hospitals in Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Aligarh, and to AIIMS in Delhi," he said.