Chargesheet filed in Payal Tadvi suicide

Mumbai: The Mumbai police on Tuesday filed the chargesheet against the three doctors accused of abetting the suicide of Payal Tadvi,  a junior doctor who hanged herself inside the room where she used to stay at BYL Nair Hospital on May 22.

The three-page suicide letter incriminating the deceased’s seniors —Hema Ahuja, Ankita Khandelwal and Bhakti Mehare — and the statements of 274 witnesses are part of the 1,800-page chargesheet, which the crime branch submitted before special judge Purushottam Jadhav.

The trio was arrested on May 29 and is under judicial custody.

According to a police officer, who is privy to the probe, the crime branch has added Section 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) as the evidence gathered by the police and the witnesses’ statements prove that the trio had allegedly destroyed Tadvi’s suicide note.

The police had been trying to recover Tadvi’s suicide note since the beginning of the case. Some time ago, the Forensic Science Labor-atory in Kalina informed the police that it had recovered a picture of the note that Tadvi purportedly wrote before committing suicide from her mobile phone, and a copy of the same was provided to the police.

According to the prosecution, the note clearly mentioned the names of the accused and detailed the alleged harassment meted out by them.

The police had then asked Tadvi’s husband Dr Salman to hand over his spouse’s notes and medical papers to compare the handwriting.

The police is also relying on CCTV footage of the hospital in which two of the accused were seen entering Tadvi’s room after she had taken her life. According to the police, this circumstance is linked to the missing suicide note.

The police has charged Ahuja, Khandelwal and Mehare under sections of the IPC, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Anti-Ragging Act and IT Act because, as per the prosecution, they used to taunt her over her caste. The IT Act was applied because there had been communication via messages on a WhatsApp group of which the trio and Tadvi were members.

The prosecution’s claims are based on the statements of Tadvi’s mother, Abeda, and her husband, with whom she used to share her ordeal, among other things.

Accused doctors’ bail plea hearing defered

The Bombay high court on Tuesday deferred hearing on the bail pleas of three doctors arrested in connection with Dr Payal Tadvi suicide case, till Thursday after the prosecution informed the court that it is filing the chargesheet against the accused.

Meanwhile, ACP Netaji Bhople of detection crime branch on Tuesday submitted the charge sheet against three doctors —Hema Ahuja, Bhakti Mehare and Ankita Khandelwal — before special judge Purushottam Jadhav and requested him to allow the police to supply copy of the chargesheet to the accused in jail.

However, defence lawyer Shailesh Kharat on behalf of advocate Abad Ponda was present in the court and requested the judge to direct the officer to provide him the copies.

Later, on the court’s directions, the police provided the copies of chargesheet to the defence lawyer. ACP Bhople had also requested the judge to allow the police to carry out further investigation in the case. The judge allowed this plea observing that the investigation officer has ample power to carry out further investigation.

The police have charged the trio for allegedly abetting the suicide of their junior colleague Dr Tadvi. The accused moved the HC after the special court had rejected their bail applications.

On Tuesday, special public prosecutor Raja Thakre informed Justice D.S. Naidu that the chargesheet in the case would be filed later in the day and requested the judge to post the hearing on the pleas the next day or day after. Following this, doctors’ lawyer Mr Ponda argued if the probe in the case was completed, the accused did not have to be in jail.

However, Justice Naidu deferred hearing till Thursday saying the court needed to consider certain factors while taking a decision on their applications.