Kidney Racket: Delhi Court Denies Bail To Organ Recipient

New Delhi:  A Delhi court denied bail to a 22-year-old kidney recipient, arrested in connection with an organ racket recently busted at a private hospital in New Delhi, saying he had knowingly participated in the transplantation process which prima facie appeared to be a "pre-planned criminal conspiracy".

The court rejected the application of Ashutosh, the thirteenth accused arrested in the scam busted earlier this month, while observing that human organs were not commodities of trade.

"After careful and studied perusal of available material, it is apparent that accused (Ashutosh) voluntarily and knowingly participated in the process of transplantation of a kidney which was not donated by his real uncle but by a donor unrelated to him by impersonating himself as real uncle of applicant," Metropolitan Magistrate Arvind Bansal said.

"It is observed that people understand and know that human organs are not commodities of trade. The legal and ethical principles associated with organ donation and transplantation must be strictly followed."

"These principles appear to have been violated in the present case and therefore Ashutosh does not deserve the benefit of judicial discretion of bail at this crucial stage of investigation. The application is accordingly declined," the court said.

The police have so far arrested 13 persons, including some middlemen, personal assistants of senior doctors, donors, a recipient and the racket's kingpin Rajkumar Rao, in connection with the matter.

Investigators have come across 10 transplant cases facilitated by the gang in the Apollo Hospital in New Delhi.