Habeas corpus filed for St Joseph’s Hospice inmates

A division bench headed by Justice CT Selvam, before whom the plea came up, directed the additional public prosecutor to get instructions on the issue by March 27. 

The hospice represented by its Managing Director DV Thomas submitted that the institution, established in 2011, was providing care and protection to the dying destitute, abandoned or orphaned by their family at public places. 

While so, a local politician G Karunakaran, developed a nexus with the local contractor, who constructed the Hospice buildings and demanded illegal money. 

On refusal, he made several anonymous complaints against the petitioner, assassinating his character and that of the other members of the institution. 

Following this, as many as 294 inmates of the Hospice, were shifted to some unknown places by the authorities. Their whereabouts were not known, and they were kept in illegal custody, the petitioner said. 

Thomas on further submitting that the inmates were kept as captives at a secluded place and were not provided food and basic requirements, while many of them were dropped on the roads, he said one among them returned to the Hospice on his own.

In this connection, he sent a representation on March 21, but on getting no response, he moved the current petition to restore the inmates back to the Hospice, the petitioner said.