A Delhi court on Monday denied the extension of interim bail on medical grounds to former Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) chief Dr Vatsala Aggarwal, the primary accused in the alleged Rs 700-crore medical supplies procurement fraud case.Aggarwal was earlier granted interim bail on humanitarian grounds on August 18 for four weeks. She had sought extension of interim bail for six weeks.In his order on Monday, Special Judge Vidya Prakash of Rouse Avenue Court said, “A careful perusal of Discharge Summary…would show that she is not suffering from any life-threatening disease and she can very well be treated with such medical ailments inside the jail premises itself.”He added, “There is no substance in the argument raised on behalf of applicant/accused that she has been directed to avoid crowded places in view of her immunocompromised status, and thus, it would be difficult for her to avoid crowds inside the jail premises, if her interim bail is not extended. In order to provide congenial atmosphere and to ensure immunocompromised status of applicant/accused inside the jail, appropriate direction(s) can always be issued by the Court, which includes but not limited to take all necessary precautions and to provide all necessary medical treatment to the applicant/accused inside the jail premises itself.”During her admission, Aggarwal was found to have a severe blood infection and a fall in blood pressure. Her counsel had argued in court that her discharge summary had told the “immunocompromised patient to avoid crowded places, which cannot be reconciled with confinement in a prison barrack”.The discharge summary said that she was suffering from “chronic bronchial asthma with community-acquired infection (Jail)”, mixed sleep apnea, type II Diabetes and hypertension.While denying her relief, the court gave directions to the Jail Superintendent to make necessary arrangements for her stay.Story continues below this ad“…concerned Jail Superintendent shall also make necessary arrangements of adaptive Servo Ventilation with nocturnal oxygen therapy, as and when so required, inside the jail premises. Needless to mention here that in case it is not possible to do so, then, concerned Jail Superintendent shall ensure that the applicant/accused is immediately taken to a government hospital having such facility,” the Judge said.The primary accused in the alleged Rs 700-crore medical procurement fraud are Aggarwal, former Central Procurement Agency (CPA) Deputy Controller of Accounts Neeraj Chopra and Dr Vinod Kumar Ranga, the former Head of Office CPA.The case began with a Vigilance Department complaint that was converted into an FIR on June 2, and revolves around widespread irregularities, manipulated tenders, and the siphoning of public funds meant for medicines, surgical items, and hospital equipment.The alleged irregularities first came to light in May this year when the Vigilance department conducted raids after receiving complaints at the offices of the CPA, which is the nodal agency responsible for procuring and supplying medicines, vaccines and medical equipment to Delhi government hospitals and healthcare facilities.Nirbhay Thakur is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express who primarily covers district courts in Delhi and has reported on the trials of many high-profile cases since 2023. Professional Background Education: Nirbhay is an economics graduate from Delhi University. Beats: His reporting spans the trial courts, and he occasionally interviews ambassadors and has a keen interest in doing data stories. Specializations: He has a specific interest in data stories related to courts. Core Strength: Nirbhay is known for tracking long-running legal sagas and providing meticulous updates on high-profile criminal trials. Recent notable articles In 2025, he has written long form articles and two investigations. Along with breaking many court stories, he has also done various exclusive stories. 1) A long form on Surender Koli, accused in the Nithari serial killings of 2006. He was acquitted after spending 2 decades in jail. was a branded man. Deemed the “cannibal" who allegedly lured children to his employer’s house in Noida, murdered them, and “ate their flesh” – his actions cited were cited as evidence of human depravity at its worst. However, the SC acquitted him finding various lapses in the investigation. The Indian Express spoke to his lawyers and traced the 2 decades journey. 2) For decades, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been at the forefront of the Government’s national rankings, placed at No. 2 over the past two years alone. It has also been the crucible of campus activism, its protests often spilling into national debates, its student leaders going on to become the faces and voices of political parties of all hues and thoughts. The Indian Express looked at all court cases spanning over two decades and did an investigation. 3) Investigation on the 700 Delhi riots cases. The Indian Express found that in 17 of 93 acquittals (which amounted to 85% of the decided cases) in Delhi riots cases, courts red-flag ‘fabricated’ evidence and pulled up the police. Signature Style Nirbhay’s writing is characterized by its procedural depth. He excels at summarizing 400-page chargesheets and complex court orders into digestible news for the general public. X (Twitter): @Nirbhaya99 ... Read More Tags:delhi