Elgar case: HC asks Maharashtra govt to move Stan Swamy to private hospital

The Bombay high court on Friday directed the jail authorities in Maharashtra to shift Jesuit priest and activist Stan Swamy an accused in the Elgar ParishadMaoist links case from the Taloja prison to a private hospital in Mumbai for treatment for two weeksA bench of Justices SS Shinde and NR Borkar directed the prison authorities to ensure that Swamy 84 was shifted from the prison in Navi Mumbai to the Holy Family Hospital in suburban Bandra preferably during the course of the dayThe benchs order came after Swamys advocate senior counsel Mihir Desai moved the bench seeking an urgent hearing on a pleaSwamy has been lodged in the Taloja prison hospital since his arrest in the case in October 2020Advocate Desai had moved a vacation bench led by Justice SJ kathawala seeking medical aid and interim bail for SwamyAt the time the bench had said that while the issue of the medical bail would be decided later Swamy could be shifted to the staterun JJ Hospital in Mumbai for treatmentAlso Read Canrsquot write walk or eat by myself Taloja Jail brought me to this Stan SwamySwamy who suffers from multiple ailments was present before the court at the time via videoconferencing but had refused to get admitted to the JJ Hospital saying he had been there twice earlier but had found no reliefThe octogenarian tribal rights activist had said he would rather die in prison than go to JJ HospitalThe bench had then offered to shift Swamy to a hospital of his choice but he said no Advocate Desai had then sought time to speak with Swamy and to convince him to get admitted to a hospitalOn Friday Desai told the bench led by Justice Shinde that Swamy had agreed to get admitted to the Holy Family HospitalThe NIAs counsel Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh and the Maharashtra government counsel YP Yagnik objected to Desais requestThey said the state could not be expected to bear the cost of Swamys treatment at the private hospital They suggested that Swamy be shifted to the JJ Hospital insteadThe HC however permitted Swamy to be shifted to the Holy Family Hospital after Desai said the cost of treatment would be borne by Swamy and his aidesWe are of the view that the appellant can be given a choice of Holy Family Hospital for his treatment for 15 days Appellant Swamy will bear the expenses the HC saidIt is not in dispute that appellants age is 84 years and according to findings recorded by a team of doctors from JJ Hospital he needs treatmentWe request that the administration of Holy Family Hospital provide one attendant keeping in view age of the appellant the bench saidThe HC also permitted Swamys colleague one Father Frazier to meet him at the hospital at regular intervals as per hospital protocolsOn May 21 Swamy had told the HC that his mental and physical health had declined steadily while being lodged at the Taloja prisonThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever