Manoj Patel had a trying time at the Alipore sub-divisional judicial magistrate’s court on Thursday, fielding a volley of questions relating to the death of his son Rajnis at SSKM Hospital in June 2003.

Defence lawyer Amitava Ganguly, appearing for prime accused Dilip Kumar Majumdar, asked Manoj to identify the X-ray plates produced before the court as evidence.

“Seven films have been placed. Can you spot the one taken after the first operation your son went through?” he asked.

As soon as Patel identified the plate, he was asked: “Were you given any requisition slips by doctors or nurses? If yes, where are the slips? Since the films don’t bear any requisition number, how do you know that the images are those of Rajnis’s operated limb?”

Manoj told the court that he was not given any requisition slip. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was never asked to produce a slip at the X-ray department.”

Defence lawyer Ganguly then blurted out: “You’ve nothing to prove that these X-ray plates are of Rajnis’.”

He then asked Manoj his monthly income and whether Rajnis was admitted to a free bed or a paying bed. “My earnings are between Rs 4,000 and Rs 4,500. I did not have the money to bear the cost of my son’s treatment, so I had applied for a free bed,” Manoj replied.

He was also asked about the ‘green card’ issued by the hospital authorities to enable him to stay by his son round-the-clock. Ganguly alleged that Manoj had “misused” the card and had visited the reduction cell — where patients are taken to change their dressings. He could well have been responsible for his son’s infection, Ganguly pointed out. The hearing was adjourned till August 26.