Row over Sai Baba's condition, ex-MP says he's a hostage

A former MP, Adikeshavulu Naidu, has alleged that Baba is being held hostage. An advocate filed a petition in a court at Penugonda, seeking a direction to the Andhra  Pradesh government, the hospital and the Sathya Sai Trust to come out with all the details about the Baba's condition.

The petition, filed by Bhaskar Reddy, will be heard Saturday. The petitioner alleged that the hospital and the trust were suppressing information about Baba's condition and that there is lack of clarity in the daily medical bulletins being issued by the doctors of Sathya Sai super speciality hospital at Puttaparthu.

The petitioner also sought direction to the state government to come out with all the details of the trust and its activities as it involves several hundreds crore rupees.

A group of devotees also moved the state human rights commission Friday, seeking direction to the hospital to show Baba's video clips to his devotees to clear the air over his actual condition. The group Dalit Janasabha argued that not showing the clips was a violation of human rights. It alleged that Baba was being kept under detention in the name of treatment.

Former MP and former chairman of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD)  Adikeshavulu Naidu also made a sensational allegation that the trust in collusion with the hospital had kept Baba hostage. He said there was a conspiracy behind the 85-year-old Baba's illness.

Naidu said Baba was being denied food and better medical treatment. "The top doctors are being denied access to him and when facilities are available to even take him abroad for treatment nothing is being done," he told reporters in Chittoor.

Naidu blamed Baba's aide Satyajit and said he is not allowing Baba's 'darshan' for his devotees for the last six months. He claimed that those who are not physicians are in the team of doctors treating him. He also alleged that the government was not acting despite knowing all the facts.

Baba, who was admitted to the hospital on March 28 with heart and lung problems, suffered multiple organ dysfunction. Doctors said he remains stable but critical.