The court asked Keshav Dayal, counsel for the Union Ministry of Health, to file the action taken report for improving the condition of Safdurjung Hospital burns ward within a week and fixed July 13 for further hearing in the case. Shourie, in his application, said all city hospitals should have a burns unit with at least 20 beds and senior plastic surgeons of more than 20 years standing and it should be mandatory on these hospitals to admit any burns patient with any degree of injury. The application said that Delhi, with its vast population, had not been adequately equipped to handle patients during the disasters like the Uphaar tragedy or the recent fire in Yamuna Pushta in which scores of people were killed.

Following the court direction, the government had formed a committee of six experts, with the additional director general of health services as its chairman, to take care of the functioning of the burns and plastic surgery department and suggest measures for improving the burns ward condition on a permanent basis. Earlier, a fact-finding committee comprising lawyers K.T.S. Tulsi, Meera Bhatia, R.K. Saini, Rajiv Awasti and Amit Bansal had made various suggestions to the court, seeking direction to the government for providing ``super speciality'' treatments to burns patients in the hospital.

Mishra in judicial custody
Surinder Mishra, nephew of alleged Dawood frontman Romesh Sharma has been remanded to judicial custody till April 19. On March 27, Mishra was remanded to 10 days of police custody for his alleged involvement in the murder of Kunzom Budhiraj, who was murdered on March 23.

Bail application rejected
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) R.K. Gauba today rejected the bail application of a former Ayurvedic and Unani Tibia college professor, Dr Bhagwan Singh, who is accused of misappropriating college funds to the tune of over Rs two lakh. The CMM rejected the bail application keeping in view the seriousness of the offence which ``can be punished with even life imprisonment.''The CMM has also remanded Singh to two-days of police custody for full and effective interrogation.

Singh, who had been evading arrest in the case so far, today surrendered before the court, after the court had initiated proceedings to declare him a proclaimed offender. Earlier, the sessions court and Delhi High Court had rejected Singh's anticipatory bail applications. A case was registered against Singh and a college clerk, Babu Lal Pali, after a complaint was filed by the director of health services, Delhi government, alleging that the duo indulged in embezzlement, cheating, fraud, misappropriation and criminal breach of trust. Singh allegedly withdrew different amounts in his name through bearer cheques totalling Rs 2,13,948 and failed to render a correct account of these withdrawals.