Elgar Parishad case: Bombay HC rejects Sudha Bharadwaj’s plea for bail
The Bombay high court (HC) on Friday rejected the interim bail application of Elgar Parishad accused Professor Sudha Bharadwaj, after going through an affidavit filed by the state with her August 21 medical reports that showed her vital parameters to be normal. The court also noted the undertaking by the state that if need arose, Bharadwaj would be shifted to a superspecialty hospital, like another accused and poet P Varavara Rao. Bharadwaj is lodged in Byculla women’s jail.
Bharadwaj had approached the HC on June 11 after a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court rejected her interim bail application on the grounds of health. Bharadwaj had submitted that she suffered from various comorbidities and due to overcrowding in the Byculla women’s prison, she was susceptible to contracting the Covid infection, hence she should be granted bail.
A division bench of justice RD Dhanuka and justice VG Bisht, while hearing the bail application, was informed by advocate Ragini Ahuja that there was a contradiction in the July 21 and August 21 medical reports of Bharadwaj.
She pointed out the report from July said her vital parameters were on the higher side and she had heart ischemia, while the report in August stated her vital parameters were normal and the aspect of heart ischemia was left out.
The state, however, said Bharadwaj’s health was being monitored round-the-clock and she was being provided proper medication for her comorbidities. The affidavit further submitted that it was bound to provide all necessary medical facilities to Bharadwaj and would shift her to Sir JJ Hospital or even a superspeciality hospital.
The bench observed there was no contradiction in the two reports.
