Elgar case: Varavara Rao need not surrender until Oct 28, says Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court on Thursday said poetactivist Varavara Rao an accused in the Elgar ParishadMaoist links case need not surrender before the Taloja prison authorities until October 28The court also said it will hear on October 26 his plea seeking extension of the bail granted to himRao 82 was granted interim bail for six months on medical grounds by the HC on February 22 this year He was scheduled to surrender and return to judicial custody on September 5However Rao filed an application last month through his lawyer R Sathyanarayanan and senior counsel Anand Grover seeking extension of the bailHe also sought permission to stay in his hometown Hyderabad while out on bailThe NIA which is conducting a probe into the Elgar ParishadMaoist links case however opposed Raos plea for extension of medical bail and shifting to Hyderabad saying his medical reports do not indicate that he suffers from any serious ailmentIn its affidavit filed before the HC last month the National Investigation Agency NIA had said the medical reports filed by Rao did not disclose any major ailment which necessitates him to take treatment in Hyderabad neither did it form a ground for further extension of the bailAlso read Elgar case Bombay HC says Varavara Rao need not surrender till Sep 25 NIA opposes his bail extension pleaThe NIA further said in its affidavit that the Taloja prison located in neighbouring Navi Mumbai had adequate health care facilities and Rao can be provided with the best medical facilities in the prisonAs part of the stringent conditions imposed on his interim bail by the HC Rao has been staying with his wife at a rented accommodation in MumbaiAt the time when he was granted bail an ailing Rao was undergoing treatment for multiple ailments at the citybased Nanavati Hospital a private medical facility where he had been admitted by the state prison authorities following the HCs interventionOn Thursday a bench of Justices Nitin Jamdar and SV Kotwal extended the time granted to Rao to surrender until October 28 and said it will hear his plea further on October 26In his plea seeking extension of medical bail and modification of bail conditions Rao had said that as per doctors at the Nanavati Hospital he is suspected to have a neurological issue known as cluster headache that needs further examinationRao further said in the plea that he continues to suffer from multiple ailments including urinary tract infection with recurrent hyponatremia suspicion of Parkinsons disease lacunar infarcts in six major lobes of the brain and some eye problemsHe said in his plea that if he returned to custody in the Taloja prison that was not equipped to cater to his medical problems his health would certainly deteriorate and he might dieThus he sought that his medical bail be extended for another six monthsRao also said in his plea that he found living in Mumbai and accessing health facilities in the city unaffordable and urged the HC to let him stay in Hyderabad while out in bailThe case relates to alleged inflammatory speeches delivered at the Elgar Parishad conclave held at Shaniwarwada in Pune on December 31 2017 which the police claimed triggered violence the next day near the KoregaonBhima war memorial located on the citys outskirtsThe Pune police had claimed the conclave was backed by MaoistsThis 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