ITANAGAR, Sep 1: Child molestation accused Tax and Excise Joint Commissioner, Tani Jongkey has been granted bail by the Sessions Court of Yupia here on Friday on health ground.
The Sessions Court had during a hearing on August 29 earlier reserved the judgment on the bail plea of the accused, who is facing charges under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act for alleged sexual assault on an 11 year old girl on June 2 last.
Jongkey had earlier also evaded police custody citing poor health and chose the hospital bed at Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences, Naharlagun (TRIHMS) instead. Further, a medical board constituted by the Sessions Court, Yupia on August 23 last, to assess his health status submitted an inconclusive report which failed to specify whether the accused was fit to leave the hospital and sent to police custody for further interrogation or not.
Interestingly, according to the medical board report, Jongkey is suffering from diabetes mellitus, fluctuating blood pressure and anxiety and does not need any immediate surgery of any kind. In fact, it is not uncommon among persons of his age group to have similar health issues. However, the accused was instead re-admitted to TRIHMS two days later on August 25 after he was discharged from the hospital.
All this puts a big question mark over the role of the medical board in the whole case. Giving an inconclusive report only hints at the board’s utter incompetence to state the actual facts as it was to the authorities. Their incompetence had later prompted the Sessions Court to order form a fresh medical board to assess Jongkey’s health status so that he could be sent to police custody.
He was later sent to police custody at Central Jail in Julllang for further interrogation based on a medical board report on August 26 which was submitted before the Judicial Magistrate First Class.
