Court asks JJ Hospital to submit report on P Varavara Rao’s health

Rao’s family approached the special court on Saturday for direction to JJ Hospital for his detailed medical report. The activist, who has various ailments, was taken to the hospital on Thursday evening after he fell unconscious.

A special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday asked a hospital in Mumbai to submit a report on P Varavara Rao’s health by June 2, when it is scheduled to hear the bail plea of the 81-year-old Telugu poet arrested in connection with the Elgar Parishad case.

Rao’s family approached the special court on Saturday for direction to JJ Hospital for his detailed medical report. The activist, who has various ailments, was taken to the hospital on Thursday evening after he fell unconscious.

His family was informed about the hospitalisation on Friday evening. They sought the direction from the court to the hospital in the plea filed through lawyers Nilesh Ukey and Arif Siddiqui.

Rao had earlier moved a plea for interim bail on the ground of the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in prisons and the court had asked authorities at Taloja Jail to provide his medical reports. However, when the case came up for hearing on May 28, authorities failed to submit the report.

The court then sent a reminder to Taloja Jail to submit the report and scheduled the hearing on June 2. In the meantime, Rao’s health deteriorated and he was taken to the hospital.

Rao was arrested by Pune Police in November 2018 claiming he had direct nexus with the top underground leaders of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) group.

The police also said he wanted to procure arms via Nepal and Manipur and that he was in direct touch with top Maoist leader Ganapathy. The case was transferred to NIA in February 2020.

Varavara Rao. Photo by Aditya Waikul/BCCLHours after staging a protest for his release from Mumbai jail, the family members of revolutionary writer Varavara Rao received the upsetting news that he has been hospitalised in Mumbai.

Hyderabad police commissioner said that necessary passes have been issued to the family members to travel to Mumbai. A deputy commissioner rank officer is coordinating the arrangements.

Varavara, 80, is in judicial custody in Maharashtra in Bhima Koregaon case. He was admitted to JJ Hospital.

Two days ago, Rao’s daughters had written letters to the Governor and Chief Minister of Maharashtra, and Chief Justice of Bombay High Court, seeking his release from Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai.

“Our father is aged 80 and ailing with multiple health issues and highly vulnerable to be affected by the coronavirus. During the last eight weeks of lockdown, we were not allowed to visit him in jail and even the usual correspondence was also disallowed,” wrote Sahaja, Pavana and Anala.