The Supreme Court refused to modify the bail conditions of 85-year-old activist P. Varavara Rao, denying his request to move from Mumbai to Hyderabad for medical care. The court allowed him to withdraw the plea, keeping his bail terms unchanged.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to hear a petition filed by Bhima Koregaon violence accused and activist-poet P. Varavara Rao, who had asked for a change in the conditions of his bail.
Rao wanted the court to allow him to live in Hyderabad instead of Mumbai, but the bench of Justices J.K. Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi did not agree. The court, however, allowed him to take back his plea.
The bench clearly stated,
“The state will take care of your health. We are not interested in entertaining the application. You may otherwise go to the same court.”
The judges also noted that Rao could continue his medical treatment in Mumbai and said they found no reason to allow his request to shift to Hyderabad.
Rao, who is 85 years old, was granted bail by the Supreme Court on August 10, 2022, mainly because of his poor health and advanced age.
In his fresh application, he asked the court to change the terms of his bail so that he could move to Hyderabad.
Senior advocate Anand Grover, representing Rao, argued that in Hyderabad Rao has many doctors in his family and he could receive free medical care as he is a pensioner.
Grover explained that Rao is currently staying in Greater Mumbai, where his monthly medical costs are around Rs 76,000, while his pension is only Rs 50,000. To this, the bench responded,
“He will manage with that.”
When the court showed unwillingness to grant relief, Grover asked to withdraw the plea, saying that Rao might raise the issue again later. The court agreed and said,
“The same is dismissed as withdrawn.”
In his application, filed through advocate Paras Nath Singh, Rao also told the court that his health condition was worsening and that his wife, aged 75, who used to stay with him in Mumbai, was now falling sick often. He requested the court to consider his age and the change in family circumstances.
Rao was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with the Elgar Parishad conclave held on December 31, 2017, in Pune.
According to NIA, the speeches delivered at the event were provocative and triggered violence the next day near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial in Maharashtra, where one person was killed and several were injured.
The agency also alleged that Rao had links with Maoist groups and was involved in anti-national activities.
After spending nearly two and a half years in jail as an undertrial, Rao was released on bail because of his health.
The Supreme Court had made his bail permanent but with strict conditions. These included that he should not leave the jurisdiction of the trial court in Mumbai and should not contact witnesses in the case.
He was permitted to take medical treatment of his choice but had to inform the NIA about his treatment.
This latest plea was an attempt by Rao to relax these bail conditions, but the Supreme Court has refused to do so for now.
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