On the 22nd of February, the Bombay High Court (HC) announced an interim bail for activist and poet Varavara Rao.
Mr. Rao, 81 years old was granted bail on medical grounds in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) was investigating the matter and held Mr. Varavara Rao, a prime accused in the Maoist link case.
Meanwhile, Mr. Rao is currently undergoing treatment in the Mumbai based Nanavati Hospital. He was in the Mumbai Police custody since the 28th of August 2018, but due to his health conditions, he was admitted to the hospital.
The Maharashtra Government is following the High Court’s intervention.
A bench of Justices S.S. Shinde and Manish Pitale ordered Mr. Rao to be discharged from the hospital, depending on his current health condition and released on bail immediately after his discharge.
The HC said if it did not grant Rao medical bail, it would be abdicating its duty to protect the principles of human rights, and a citizen’s fundamental rights to life and health.
In addition, the Mumbai Court bench imposed stringent conditions on Mr. Rao’s bail. The court directed him to stay within the jurisdiction of the Mumbai NIA court for the period he is out on bail.
Mr. Rao would also need to submit his passport before the NIA court.
Besides following the guidelines of the court, Mr. Rao would also need to furnish a personal bond of Rs. 50,000 and two sureties of the like amount.
In addition, the Court has forbidden him to establish any contact with his co accused in the case.
In 2018, activists Including P. Varavara Rao, a revolutionary writer from Hyderabad, Sudha Bharadwaj, Gautam Navlakha and others were arrested in the Bhima Koregaon Maoist plot against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
As of now, the NIA is investigating the 2018 Bhima Koregaon Maoist plot violence.
