Jet founder Naresh Goyal denied personal doctor, home food inside prison

Special judge MG Desphande, however, while rejecting the plea, directed the prison authorities to get him examined by an internal doctor and provide him with suitable bedding inside the prison

Mumbai: The special PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) court on Monday rejected the Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal’s applications, seeking daily medical checkups by his personal doctor and home-cooked food inside the prison.

Mumbai, India - 20 Mar, 2020: Former Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal alongwith wife Anita Goyal at ED office regarding Jet Airways case, in Mumbai, India, on Friday, 20 Mar, 2020. (Photo by Bhushan Koyande/HT)

Special judge MG Desphande, however, while rejecting the plea, directed the prison authorities to get him examined by an internal doctor and provide him with suitable bedding inside the prison.

Currently, Goyal, 74, is lodged in Arthur Road jail in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged fraud of ₹538 crore at the Canara Bank.

Goyal had moved multiple applications for consultation from a personal specialist doctor, family physician and medical checkup daily.

While rejecting his plea the special court said, “The chief medical officer (CMO) of the prison shall check the accused thoroughly every day and if he notices any abnormality or urgent health issue, he should immediately take the step to meet the same.”

The special court, while rejecting the plea for home-cooked food, said that the CMO would decide and fix the jail food suitable for the accused.

The 74-year-old said that he is suffering from restricted mobility, severe shoulder impingement and neck pain and stiffness after his fall in June 2022. He also claimed to have spinal cord issues.

Considering his ill health, the court had sought a report from the CMO of the prison. “The report clearly indicates that the CMO has thoroughly examined the accused and prescribed him medicines in addition to his already prescribed medicines,” the court said. Presently, the accused is kept in the jail clinic.

Apart from the alleged fraud linked to Canara Bank, the ED has also contended that Jet Airways had taken a loan from a consortium of 10 banks to meet the operational expenditure between 2011-12 and 2018-19. However, out of the total loan, ₹1,152 crores were diverted in the guise of consultancy and professional fees and ₹2,547.83 crore were diverted to a sister concern – Jet Lite Limited – to clear its loan.