E-Paper
Varavara Rao gets extension of interim bail
The bench issued notice to the NIA, which is probing Rao’s alleged links with banned organisation CPI (Maoist) in the violence that erupted in Maharashtra’s Bhima Koregaon village in January 2018
The Supreme Court on Tuesday extended the interim bail granted to Telugu poet and activist P Varavara Rao till August 10 and issued notice on his plea seeking regular bail on medical grounds in the Bhima Koregaon violence case.
A bench of justices UU Lalit, S Ravindra Bhat and Sudhanshu Dhulia issued notice on Rao’s plea to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is probing his alleged links with banned organisation CPI (Maoist) in the violence that erupted in Maharashtra’s Bhima Koregaon village in January 2018.
The bench said, “Considering the nature of controversy of the present case, the matter shall be disposed off on the next occasion.”
Rao had approached the top court after the Bombay high court declined his request for bail on April 13. In his appeal, 83-year old Rao said that he had already undergone 2 years of incarceration and “any further incarceration would ring the death knell for him as advancing age and deteriorating health are a fatal combination.”
The high court had granted Rao bail on medical grounds last year.
Later, While refusing him permanent bail on account of his deteriorating health condition, the HC gave him three months to surrender. The top court had extended the protection from surrender order from time to time on two past occasions.
The charges against Rao are under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and other provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the FIR lodged at Vishrambagh Police Station on January 8, 2018 in Pune. According to Rao, looking at the pace at which the trial was proceeding, the case against him would not end within a decade. He cited the case of Father Stan Swamy who too was arrested in connected with his role in the Elgar Parishad case and died in custody before the trial could start.
In his petition, Rao stated that since the HC granted him bail in February 2021, his health deteriorated as he developed umbilical hernia for which he had to undergo surgery. He also needs to be operated for cataract in both his eyes. Besides, he also suffered from onset of early Parkinsonism symptoms of slowness of movement, hand tremors, and stooping posture. His brain scan has revealed lacunar infarcts (dead brain tissue)in six major lobes of the brain due to clots formed by the occlusion of the blood supplying arteries.
