Call to free jailed professor gets louder

M Sudheer, a professor of Orthopaedics in MMC, was arrested on Feb 24 by the UP police from his residence in Alwarpet, after two cheques, one for Rs 74 lakh and another for Rs 24 lakh, and promissory notes he gave to a party in Lucknow bounced. 

In the FIR, the Lucknow police said that Sudheer had accepted one crore on the pretext of aiding the construction of a medical college and hospital in Lucknow. He accepted the money saying he had connections in the Medical Council of India, it said. The spiral of events began in 2013 when Sudheer borrowed Rs 20 lakh from a financier, Kamaraj for five per cent interest. 

“After the Holi holidays, the court will open for hearings on Wednesday and Sudheer’s bail plea will be heard. He will return to the city once he gets bail. The city police are convinced that this is a fabricated case,” said, A Karthikeyan, Convenor of Government All Doctors Association. 

“It has come to light that financier Kamaraj of Purasawalkam had himself booked flight tickets online for Sudheer to be taken to Uttar Pradesh,” he said. “There are several unanswered questions, such as why Sudheer was taken to Royapettah hospital for a fitness check and not at MMC? He was taken to house of a man with mafia links in UP before being taken to the police station,” Karthikeyan said. 

He pointed out that some of Sudheer’s relatives are currently in UP to bring him out on bail, while his immediate family is in the city. “Sudheer is a diabetic and is dependent on insulin. He must be given bail. The inquiry can be conducted later,” Karthikeyan added. 

A senior police official said that Sudheer had lodged a complaint against Kamaraj at Teynampet station in May 2016. A few days ago, Kamaraj was arrested too. “After Sudheer returns to the city, we will surely conduct probe into whatever complaints we have received,” the official said.