Saravana Bhavan hotel owner moves HC for treatment in pvt hospital

A petition has been filed in the Madras High Court seeking to shift hotelier P Rajagopal, who has been admitted to a government hospital here after he surrendered in a murder case, to a private hospital citing deterioration in his health condition.

When a special mention was made by his lawyer before a division bench of Justices MM Sundresh and M Nirmal Kumar, the additional public prosecutor said he would get instructions from the Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday.

In a habeas corpus petition filed by Rajagopal's son it was stated that his condition worsened after he was admitted to Stanley Medical College Hospital here following his surrender.

The founder of popular South Indian food chain Saravana Bhavan had surrendered along with another accused before a sessions court here on July 9 to serve life term in a murder case, hours after the Supreme Court had rejected his plea seeking more time.

Rajagopal, who had moved the apex court citing health reasons, was brought to the premises of the trial court in an ambulance and sent to jail.

However, he was taken to Stanley hospital for check-up and admitted to the "convict ward" as per the doctors' advice.

Alleging that the doctors at the government hospital changed the medicines taken by his father, the petitioner said, because of it his condition started deteriorating and on July 13 he suffered a cardiac arrest.

Some of the medical tests which were suggested by the doctors could not be done at Stanley due to inadequate facilities, he claimed.

A representation was made to the authorities to shift him to any private hospital for better treatment, he said praying for a direction from the court for the relief.

Rajagopal was to surrender on July 7 to serve life imprisonment in the murder of Prince Shantakumar in 2001.

The motive for the killing was to marry Shantakumar's wife Jeevajothi, who was the daughter of a former employee -- an assistant manager -- in his hotel.