Elgar case: Bombay HC says Varavara Rao need not surrender till Sep 25; NIA opposes his bail extension plea

The Bombay High Court on Monday adjourned till September 24 the hearing on the plea for interim bail extension of poetactivist Varavara Rao an accused in the Elgar ParishadMaoist links case and said he need not surrender to Taloja prison authorities till September 25The National Investigation Agency NIA which is conducting a probe into the case opposed Raos plea for the extension of medical bail and to shift to Hyderabad from Mumbai saying his medical reports did not indicate that he suffers from any serious medical ailmentRao 82 who was granted interim bail on medical grounds in February 22 this year was scheduled to surrender and return to judicial custody on September 5But last week the activist through lawyer R Sathyanarayanan and senior counsel Anand Grover filed an application seeking extension of the bailRao had also sought permission to stay in his hometown Hyderabad while out on bail saying he found living in Mumbai and accessing health facilities here unaffordableIn its affidavit filed before the HC on Monday the NIA said The medical reports filed by the applicant do not disclose any major ailment which necessitates him to take treatment at Hyderabad neither it forms a ground for further extension of bailAlso read Elgar Parishad case No NIA action till HC hears Varavara Raos medical bail extension plea on Sep 6The NIA in its affidavit further said the Taloja prison located in neighbouring Navi Mumbai had adequate health care facilities and Rao can be provided with thebest medical facilities thereThe probe agency also said Rao should not be granted bail extension and should not be allowed to shift to Hyderabad as he is accused of committing a serious offenceThey Rao cannot expect the Honble courts to pass orders as per their convenience especially when the accused has prima facie committed offence of serious nature the NIA said in its affidavitAs part of the stringent interim bail conditions imposed by the HC Rao has been staying with his wife in a rented accommodation in MumbaiWhen he was granted bail Rao was undergoing treatment for multiple ailments at the citybased private Nanavati Hospital where was admitted by prison authorities following the HCs interventionOn Monday Grover told a bench of Justices S S Shinde and N J Jamadar that after being discharged from the Nanavati Hospital in February this year Rao had developed three additional health ailmentsNIAs counsel Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh told the HC that the central agency had filed a detailed affidavit opposing Raos pleaThe bench however pointed out that it had an administrative meeting to attend and could not hear further arguments in the matterGrover then urged the HC to extend Raos date of surrender till the next date of hearingThe HC agreed and said Rao neednt surrender till September 25 but added that he must continue adhering to the bail conditions until then including staying within the jurisdiction of the Mumbai NIA courtIn his plea seeking extension of medical bail and modification of bail conditions Rao said as per doctors of the Nanavati Hospital he is suspected to have a neurological issue known as cluster headache which 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 problemsThe activist contended that if he returned to custody in the Taloja prison which 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 monthsAll medical parameters of the applicant go to show that if he is sent back to judicial custody it will not be long before his condition reverts back to what it was Raos plea readRao also said in his plea that he found living in Mumbai and accessing health facilities here 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