11 June,2009 10:42 AM IST | | Imran Gowhar
Court ready with sentence but can't deliver it because scam kingpin can't travel to Kolhapur
>>He can't travel because he's infection-prone
>>He has received death threats
>>Kolhapur court can't do a video conference
>>Maharashtra has not paid court phone bill
>>All of which means no punishment for now
Abdul Karim Telgi needs to be in Kolhapur on June 13 to receive his sentence but getting him there is not going to be easy.
The Kolhapur court sentenced the fake stamp paper kingpin recently but reserved the order for sentence seeking his physical presence.
But state prison authorities haven't received the body warrant so far and fear that getting the ailing Telgi to travel would expose him to high levels of infection.
Health issues
According to a senior official, Telgi's health had deteriorated recently and he was hospitalised at Victoria Hospital for four weeks. He was discharged last week and is being monitored constantly.
"Telgi would not been advised to travel since he is recuperating," the official said.u00a0 "In fact, we will have to take his doctor's permission. Only then can we consider taking him to Kolhapur," he said.u00a0
u00a0"We are now praying for a miracle to happen as we are not ready to take the risk of shifting him out of jail," the official added.u00a0
"Since video conferencing is out, it's up to the court now to make an amicable decision in this regard," another official said.
To add to the complication, Telgi had earlier received a death threat. Cops say this is another reason why travelling is not advisable.
Line of fire
The problem over Abdul Karim Telgi's travel stems from the fact that the Maharashtra government had not paid its telephone bills, leading to disconnection since last year. If it had, the court could have contacted the central prison through video-conferencing and the matter sorted out.
