A division bench of the Bombay High Court on Friday disposed of the petitions filed by Vernon Gonsalves and Dr Anand Teltumbde, both accused in the Elgar Parishad case, seeking direction for them to be tested for Covid-19.
Their petitions were disposed of by justice RD Dhanuka and justice VG Bisht after the state submitted their reports where they had tested negative for the virus. The report was also handed to their families as well. Gonsalves and Teltumbde are currently lodged in Taloja jail.
The state in an earlier hearing had submitted the Covid-19 negative reports, however as there was a discrepancy in the report of Dr Teltumbde, the bench had asked the state to submit a correct report to the court and to the family.
The bench while hearing the petitions was informed by advocate Devyani Kulkarni that though the court had directed the state to hand over the Covid-19 test reports to the families, it had not done so. She even submitted that it seemed that the correct report of Dr Teltumbde was also not prepared and hence the state should be directed to comply as soon as possible.
She further submitted that the state had only handed over a cover letter to the lawyers which stated that the Covid-19 tests were conducted and the reports were negative. She said that the detailed report was not received.
{{/usCountry}}She further submitted that the state had only handed over a cover letter to the lawyers which stated that the Covid-19 tests were conducted and the reports were negative. She said that the detailed report was not received.
{{/usCountry}}Chief public prosecutor Deepak Thakare for the state sought time and submitted that the Covid-19 report of Gonsalves and the corrected report of Dr Teltumbde would be handed over to the families and hence the matter be placed for hearing after the lunch hour, which the court agreed.
After lunch when the petition came up for hearing, Kulkarni informed the bench that they had received medical reports of both Gonsalves and Dr Teltumbde, and were satisfied and hence the petitions could be disposed of.
After hearing the submissions the court disposed of the petitions.
Gonsalves and Dr Teltumbde had moved the petition for getting themselves tested for Covid-19 as they had been in close contact with Telugu poet P Vara Vara Rao who is a co-accused in the Elgar Parishad/Bhima Koregaon case while he was being treated in the Taloja jail hospital.
After Rao tested positive for Covid-19, both Gonsalves and Dr Teltumbde had sought to be tested due to their advanced age and comorbidities and for the safety of other inmates of the jail.
Both had been shifted to an isolation unit after they were tested and until the reports came.