CBI court miffed over shifting accused to hospital

The CBI special court here has taken a serious view of the shifting of former Uttar Pradesh minister and accused in the multi-crore National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam Babu Singh Kushwaha to a hospital without its permission.

Special Judge S. Lal has summoned superintendent of the Dasna prison in Ghaziabad where the former minister was lodged.

The court expressed its displeasure after both the accused - Kushwaha and IAS officer Pradeep Shukla - did not appear for the hearing.

Officials said the tough posturing of the special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court could mean fresh trouble for the Akhilesh Yadav government. While Shukla, known for his proximity to the Samajwadi Party (SP) leadership, has been shifted to a hospital in New Delhi following cervical problems, Kushwaha is undergoing treatment for cardiac issues at the multi-speciality Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI) in Lucknow.

Arun Kumar Mishra, special secretary (home), defended Kushwaha's shifting to hospital saying it was done under the instructions of a chief medical officer. The special CBI court will hear the case again Wednesday.