Two arrested for alleged bed allocation scam in Bengaluru last month get bail

The court said the two are not named in the First Information Report or in the complaint related to the alleged scam, nor is there any evidence against them, while citing the reasons for granting them bail

A Bengaluru court has granted bail to two people, saying police failed to present any evidence to suggest they received money a month after they were arrested in an alleged bed allotment scam

Representational image. (REUTERS)

Dr Rehan Shahed, a nodal officer at Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP)’s South Zone Covid War Room, and N Shashi Kumar, a data entry operator, were arrested on May 5 for allegedly blocking beds and giving them to patients in exchange for money.

The court on Thursday cited materials placed before it and added that it appeared the complaint was lodged assuming that the war room staffers were taking money while allotting beds by blocking them in the names of Covid patients in home isolation. “But no such evidence is placed to show that from whom the petitioners... [have] received money while allotting beds or blocking beds as alleged,” the court said.

During the inspection, Surya was accused of unfairly targeting Muslims during the inspection. He read out the names of 17, all Muslims, out of the 205 persons employed at the centre and asked their qualifications. A video of the inspection purportedly showed a staffer responding to Surya saying all of them were hired after BBMP, Bengaluru’s municipal body, invited applications. In response, legislator Ravi Subramanya is purportedly heard asking, “Only these people are sending applications? Are you hiring for a corporation or a madrasa?” Surya then demanded the details of the hiring agency and sought to know the qualification of the 17. The references were live-streamed on social media. The 17 employees were not named in the FIRs and did not face any investigation.

The court said Shahed and Kumar are not named in the First Information Report or in the complaint related to the alleged scam while citing the reasons for granting them bail. “Whereas in the remand application, the petitioners [Shahed and Kumar] are shown as A1&2 (Accused 1 and 2)… copy order dated 03-06-2020 of Chief Medical Officer BBMP disclose that A1 was appointed as a candidate on contract basis for a period of 6 months... condition No 5 disclose that the petitioners have no right to sign or to approve on financial files,” the court said in its order.

It added there was no specific allegation against the petitioners that they blocked beds as alleged in the complaint.

Surya and his office did not respond to calls for comments while the lawyers of Shahed and Kumar refused to comment saying the case is sub judice.