The key accused in a sprawling pan-India kidney trafficking network, Dr. Ravinder Pal Singh from New Delhi, did not present himself before the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court in Chandrapur on Friday. His absence came despite clear instructions from a Delhi court, which had granted him interim bail on the condition that he appear in Chandrapur on January 2.
Court Proceedings and Legal Maneuvers
While Dr. Singh was absent, his legal counsel was present in the Chandrapur court. The lawyer requested a day's time to present his arguments. Accepting this plea, the magistrate extended the accused doctor's interim bail for one more day and scheduled the next hearing for Saturday, January 3. The court also directed the Chandrapur police to submit their arguments on the same day.
The Chandrapur police had arrested Dr. Ravinder Pal Singh in Delhi on December 29. Due to the cancellation of the investigating team's scheduled flight, he was first produced before a Delhi court, which granted him interim transit bail. A specific condition of this bail was his mandatory appearance before the CJM court in Chandrapur.
In a related development, another accused doctor in the same case, Dr. Rajratnam Govindaswamy, the MD of Star KIMS Hospital in Trichy, is still evading arrest. Police sources indicate that he has approached the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court seeking interim transit bail.
The Charges and the Alleged Crime
Both medical professionals have been formally charged under Sections 18 and 19 of the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act (THOTA), 1994. These sections specifically criminalize the illegal removal of human organs and their commercial trade, carrying severe penalties.
The case unraveled a sinister network allegedly involved in luring and coercing vulnerable individuals into selling their kidneys. The investigation points to a well-organized racket with a national footprint.
Farmer's Exploitation Ignites Public Anger and Planned March
Parallel to the court drama, public outrage is brewing over a separate but thematically linked case of alleged exploitation that led to organ selling. The plight of a marginal farmer, Roshan Kule, has become a rallying point for activists and farmer groups.
According to reports, Kule was trapped in a vicious cycle of debt after initially borrowing Rs 1 lakh from an illegal moneylending gang operating from Brahmapuri. The debt, inflated by exorbitant and compounding interest rates, allegedly ballooned to an unpayable Rs 74 lakh.
Despite selling his farmland, vehicles, and other assets, Kule could not clear the massive debt. This financial desperation allegedly pushed him to the extreme step of selling one of his kidneys.
In protest against this brutal exploitation and the broader scourge of organ trafficking, a massive long march named 'Jan Akrosh Morcha' will be taken out on Saturday. The march will proceed from Minthur village to the Nagbhid tehsil office.
The protest will be led by senior farmer leader and former minister Bacchu Kadu, alongside representatives from various farmers' and social organizations. Their list of demands is comprehensive and includes:
- Stringent action against illegal moneylenders and organ trafficking rackets.
- A government job for victim Roshan Kule.
- Implementation of the Swaminathan Commission recommendations for farmers.
- Complete farm loan waiver with pension benefits for farmers.
- Assured Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all crops.
- Immediate release of water from the right canal of the Gosekhurd dam for the summer paddy crop.
The convergence of these two events—the court case of a high-profile medical professional and the grassroots mobilization for a debt-ridden farmer—highlights the deep and disturbing links between illegal finance, organ trade, and the exploitation of India's most vulnerable citizens. The coming days are crucial for both the legal process and the public movement seeking justice.
