Ahmedabad: A city sessions court denied bail to two accused persons, Imtiyaz Havej and Imran Karigar, who, along with four others, were arrested last month in connection with the alleged scam fabricating health cards for the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) for ineligible individuals. This scam came to light after the police investigated the angioplasty deaths at Khyati Hospital.
Havej and Karigar sought bail, maintaining their innocence and questioning the credibility of the charges against them by highlighting the unexplained two-year delay in filing the FIR. Public prosecutor Sudhir Brahmbhatt opposed the bail pleas, expressing apprehension that the accused might tamper with the evidence if released on bail.
After hearing the applications, additional sessions judge H G Pandya noted in his order that these two accused, in connivance with co-accused, allegedly tampered with the system and source code to prepare and issue Ayushman cards to ineligible persons to financially benefit them under the PM-JAY scheme.
This scheme was introduced by the govt for the welfare of the needy and deprived people of society so that they can get free health care. To get the benefit of the scheme, an Ayushman card is a requirement. These accused persons issued 1,200 to 1,500 Ayushman cards to ineligible people.
The court rejected the bail pleas, citing the ongoing investigation.