On Friday, a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Mumbai denied poet and activist Varavara Rao’s request for permission to travel to Hyderabad for cataract surgery. Rao is a defendant in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case.
The 82-year-old campaigner had been granted medical bail by the Supreme Court in August, with the terms of his release determined by the NIA court that presided over the case.
One of the terms of Rao’s bail was that he would live within the boundaries of Greater Mumbai and not leave the city without the prior consent of the NIA court. Rao was arrested on August 28, 2018, from his home in Hyderabad.
Rao requested approval on Friday to go for three months to Hyderabad for cataract surgery and related paperwork.
According to his application, the poet and activist has cataracts in both of his eyes, which need surgery and treatment. Judge RN Rokade, a special magistrate, denied the plea.
Mahesh Raut, another suspect, also filed a request for medical attention.
The jail supervisor was ordered by the court to give the accused the appropriate medical care and, if necessary, to refer them to a government hospital.
The court also got a letter about Sagar Gorkhe’s bad behaviour from Taloja Central Prison in nearby Navi Mumbai.
The case allegedly stems from provocative remarks made at the Elgar Parishad conclave in Pune on December 31, 2017, which, according to the police, led to disturbance the next day close to the Koregaon Bhima War Memorial outside the western Maharashtra city, according to the police.
Pune police filed a case on January 8, 2018, alleging that the conclave was organised by individuals with Maoist ties and violating numerous provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Later, the National Probe Agency took up the investigation (NIA).
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