Josefa Sigavolavola 
Thakur Punja’s lawyer today disputed the qualifications of the Colonial War Memorial Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Luke Nasedra in a hearing for bail variation.
Punja has been appearing in court with allegations linked to his alleged possession of illicit drugs including 0.84 grams of methamphetamine, 5.447 grams of cocaine and 6.6 grams of marijuana.
Appearing before the court today, Punja’s defense Samuela Heritage informed the court of his client’s current medical condition relating to a car accident that his client was involved in last year.
Heritage informed the court that Punja required serious medical attention before proceeding with court processes to undergo a Lumbar Disk surgery.
However, Dr Nasedra was brought in on behalf of the state as a medical expert to provide opinion on his medical report regarding bail variation for medical travel overseas.
In his expert opinion, Dr Nasedra noted that Punja was not in a life threatening situation that needed immediate release to acquire overseas medical treatment.
Heritage disputed that Dr Nasedra was an anesthesiologist and didn’t provide relevant opinion in the case of Punja who allegedly suffers from a neurological medical condition
In response, the state informed the court that Dr Nasedra had provided a very much relevant opinion in his capacity as a superintendent of the national hospital.
The matter has been adjourned to February 6 to rule on bail variation.
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