Submit”health”report” of”sudha”bharadwaj”by” May”17:”bombay”hc”
MUMBAI: The Bombay high court (HC) has directed the authorities of Byculla women’s prison to submit the health report of activist and lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj – an accused in the Elgar Parishad case – by May 17. The directions were issued after hearing the interim bail application filed on medical grounds by Bharadwaj’s daughter Maaysha Singh.
A division bench of justice KK Tated and justice Abhay Ahuja, while hearing the petition filed by Singh, was informed by advocate Yug Mohit Chaudhary that Bharadwaj was being kept in a prison ward with 50 other women and that the conditions were extremely unsanitary and there was no possibility of physical distancing.
Chaudhary further submitted that Bharadwaj has comorbidities, and due to issues of overcrowding in the prison amid the Covid-19 pandemic and lack of proper treatment to inmates, the petitioner was seeking the release of her mother on interim bail on health grounds.
When the bench asked for a fresh report on Bharadwaj’s current health condition, additional public prosecutor JP Yagnik for the state prison authority submitted that they would take the accused to Sir JJ Hospital on Thursday for a medical examination and submit a report within a week.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) was entrusted with the Elgar Parishad case probe last January. NIA’S lawyer, advocate Sandesh Patil, said that there is no urgency in the matter and it was unable to file a reply on Singh’s petition within a week due to the pandemic situation. The bench responded, “We understand that officers are working at 15% capacity. Let us see the medical report first.” HC directed the prison authority to file the report by May 17 and it will hear the plea on May 21.