Clarion India
MUMBAI — The Bombay High Court on Friday rejected the interim bail plea filed by Sudha Bharadwaj, an activist arrested in the Elgaar Parishad case, on medical grounds in view of the Covid-19 outbreak in prisons.
The court said the state will continue providing medical aid in prison for her ailments.
A division bench of Justice R D Dhanuka and Justice V G Bisht on Friday perused a prison department report, which stated Bharadwaj had been examined in jail by a medical officer and her condition was found to be “stable and satisfactory”.
Bharadwaj had filed an appeal before the HC against special NIA court’s rejection of her interim bail plea earlier on medical grounds.
According to reports, Bharadwaj’s counsel advocate Ragini Ahuja submitted to the court that Bharadwaj suffered from chronic ailments such as diabetes and hypertension and these co-morbidities put her at a high risk of contracting Covid-19 in prison. But the plea was dismissed.
Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, representing NIA, and Public Prosecutor Deepak Thakare, appearing for the state government, opposed the plea saying if Bharadwaj required further treatment and had to be admitted to a hospital, including a private one, the jail authorities would do the same, reports The Indian Express.
Anil Singh furthere explained that another co-accused in the case, Varavara Rao, was admitted to JJ hospital and then shifted to the private Nanavati hospital for treatment of Covid-19 and other ailments.
Dismissing Bharadwaj’s plea, the bench noted: “In our view, no case is made out for grant of bail. This appeal is devoid of merits.”
