New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has allowed a man lodged in jail, facing prosecution in a murder case, to take the Manipur Civil Service examination.

The court said that as the exam is scheduled on May 12, the accused be taken to Imphal by economy flight on Saturday and brought back to Delhi on May 13.

"Accordingly, Superintendent Jail is directed to have the petitioner taken to Imphal by economy flight. The cost of the ticket of the petitioner shall be borne by him. However the cost of travel, boarding and lodging of the officers accompanying the petitioner shall be borne by the prison Department of the Delhi Government," Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva said.

Benzi Takhellambam sought interim bail on the ground that he has to take the Manipur Civil Service (Combined) Competitive Preliminary Exams 2019 which are scheduled to be held on May 12 between 10 AM to 12 PM and 2 PM to 4 PM. The examination centre is a school in Imphal-West, Manipur.

The prosecutor had said there was sufficient material to show his involvement in the murder case and there was an apprehension that he may abscond if granted interim bail.

However, the prosecutor had submitted that he may be permitted to take the examination in police custody. The court said that on reaching Imphal, the man be taken to a police station closer to the examination centre and lodged in the lock-up there.

It also directed the Superintendent of Police, Imphal-West to ensure that boarding and lodging is provided to the police personnel accompanying the accused, either in the police station where the lock-up is situated or in close by Police Lines.

The police personnel be allowed to sit at a place in the examination centre from where they can see the accused. The court made it clear that this order has been passed keeping in view of the peculiar facts and circumstances of the case and it shall not be treated as a precedent.

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Mumbai (PTI): The initial report submitted by the microbiology department of a Mumbai-based state-run hospital has said no "bacterial infection" was detected in the bodies of four family members, who died after consuming watermelon recently, officials said on Wednesday.

The Dokadia family, residents of Ghari Mohalla on Ismail Kurte Road, had hosted a get-together of relatives on the night of April 25. At around 1 am (on April 26), hours after the guests had left, Abdullah Dokadia (40), his wife Nasreen (35), and daughters Ayesha (16) and Zaineb (13) ate pieces of a watermelon.

They suffered severe bouts of vomiting and diarrhoea in the early hours of April 26 and were rushed to a local hospital before being referred to the government-run J J Hospital where all four died during treatment.

After the incident, Mumbai police, forensic experts and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials visited the house and had collected samples of every food item that constituted the family's last meal, including 'chicken pulav', watermelon, water, and other foodstuffs, and sent them to the Forensic Science Laboratory for analysis.

After the post-mortem of the deceased, their viscera was preserved for chemical analysis.

As the probe is underway, the microbiology department of the state-run J J Hospital has submitted its initial report to the police.

"As per the report, no bacterial infection has been detected so far in the bodies of the victims. No bacteria was found in their blood," the official said.

The exact cause of the death will be known once the forensic science lab submits its report, he said.

"The report will also clarify whether any food items consumed by the family members during the day contained anything poisonous," the official said.