Elgar Parishad case: Hany Babu seeks medical bail in HC
56-year-old Babu, a professor of English Literature, spent over two years in judicial custody. He has sought his release for cataract surgery, treatment of his upper abdominal pain and osteoarthritis in a private hospital in the city and post-treatment recuperation at his own expense
Mumbai: Former Delhi University professor Hany Babu, who is currently lodged in Taloja jail, has approached the Bombay high court (HC) seeking interim medical bail in the Elgar Parishad case.
56-year-old Babu, a professor of English Literature, spent over two years in judicial custody. He has sought his release for cataract surgery, treatment of his upper abdominal pain and osteoarthritis in a private hospital in the city and post-treatment recuperation at his own expense.
In his petition, Babu stated that though he had approached the prison authorities and the special court with regard to his ailments, his requests have not been heeded and hence he approached the HC. The petition stated that he had lost vision in his eye which is affected by a cataract and suffered excruciating pain in his stomach and knees and hence applied for medical bail.
The petition filed through advocate Yug Choudhary last month came up for hearing before the bench of justice AS Gadkari and justice PD Naik on Friday. However, at the request of advocate Sandesh Patil, the special public prosecutor for the National Investigation Agency, the court adjourned the hearing of the petition to December 13.
According to the petition, Babu slipped into jail in October 2021 after which his knees were hurting and he developed a limp. He had sought to be taken to a hospital, but the prison authorities did not oblige and hence he approached the special NIA court. Though the court had directed the jail authorities to refer him to a government hospital, if necessary, it was not complied with.
Thereafter in February 2022, Babu started suffering from abdominal pain for which he again approached the special court on March 9, 2022. However, jail authorities did not take him to a hospital. Thereafter, another application was filed in the special court seeking directions to be taken to JJ hospital to consult a gastroenterologist for the abdominal pain, however, the jail authorities failed to comply with the court orders nor did the jail provide any medical treatment.
The petition then states that in September he started having blurred vision and hence on the order of the special court he was taken to JJ Hospital where he was told that he had a cataract in his left eye and should come for regular visits to ascertain whether he had glaucoma and to fix a date for cataract surgery. However, thereafter there was no follow-up, hence he filed a medical bail application which was rejected by the HC.
In view of his deteriorating eyesight coupled with the abdominal pain and osteoarthritis, the petition has sought his enlargement on medical bail so that he may undergo treatment for the various ailments at his own cost.