Varavara Rao to be shifted to Nanavati Hospital for 15 days: Bombay HC

Poet-activist Varavara Rao

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday allowed jailed poet-activist Varavara Rao to be shifted to Mumbai's Nanavati Hospital for 15 days. The court said that the state government will bear the cost of his treatment.

The High Court also allowed the activist's family to visit him as per the hospital norms. Rao will not be discharged without a court order.

In a medical report submitted by the Maharashtra government before the Bombay HC, it was stated that Rao, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, is "fully conscious and oriented".

Also Read: Bhima Koregaon Case: Varavara Rao Using Diapers, Has Urinary Tract Infection, Bombay High Court Told

However, on the submission of Rao's counsel Indira Jaising that the report "did not shed any light on Rao's neurological condition and the urinary tract infection he is said to have developed while at the Taloja prison, the HC had directed the government to file a "complete report detailing the type of medical exam conducted through video conferencing, and all other findings".

Rao, 81, is currently lodged as an under-trial in the Taloja prison in neighbouring Navi Mumbai.

Rao had filed a bail application and a writ petition seeking he be shifted to Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai immediately, owing to his "diminishing neurological and physical health condition".

Jaising had told a bench of Justices SS Shinde and Madhav Jamdar that the state government's report was an "eyewash" as it is "silent on Rao's dementia".

Also Read: Supreme Court Asks Bombay High Court To Consider Varavara Rao's Bail Plea

Since his arrest in June 2018, Rao has been in and out of the government-run JJ hospital in the city. On July 16, he tested positive for coronavirus, after which he was shifted to the Nanavati hospital. He was discharged on July 30 and sent back to the Taloja prison, Jaising said.

Last week, Jaising had urged the high court to direct the state government to shift Rao to Nanvati Hospital immediately in view of the apprehension that "Rao might lose his life while in prison".

(With inputs from agencies)

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