The Bombay High Court has granted interim bail for eight months to an accused woman lodged in a jail in a drug case on humanitarian grounds to allow her to take care of her sick infant daughter, who needs frequent medical attention and care.
“The medical reports which are prima facie placed before me, clearly bear out the status of the infant girl child which by any human consideration needs to be protected rather than provided with proper medical care,” the court said.
The woman was pregnant when she was arrested last year by the Directorate of Revenue (DRI) for allegedly carrying six kg of cocaine, leading to the registration of a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The court granted eight-month bail to the woman and ordered her to appear before the concerned police station once a month.
The court held that it would be appropriate if the infant is brought up in the environs of the home and proper hospital care rather than jail, especially when the infant is required to be repeatedly taken for medical checkups and care.
