The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a plea filed by activist and poet P Varavara Rao, accused in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence case, seeking modification of his bail conditions.
A bench of Justices J.K. Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi expressed disinclination to grant any relief and dismissed the matter as withdrawn. Rao had requested relaxation of the condition requiring him to seek prior permission from the trial court before leaving the Greater Mumbai area.
“Government will take care of his health or go to the same court. We are not interested,” the bench observed.
Senior advocate Anand Grover, appearing for Rao, argued that the 82-year-old poet’s health has deteriorated. He pointed out that Rao’s wife, who used to care for him, has now shifted to Hyderabad, leaving him without support in Mumbai. Grover also stressed that the trial was unlikely to conclude soon.
Rao has been on bail since August 10, 2022, when the top court granted him medical relief, noting that though a chargesheet was filed, several accused were still absconding and charges had not been framed. At the time, the court made clear that the bail was “purely on medical grounds” and could not set a precedent.
The conditions imposed included a restriction on leaving Mumbai without trial court permission, refraining from contacting witnesses, and informing the National Investigation Agency (NIA) about any medical treatment.
Case Background
Varavara Rao, a noted Telugu poet, was arrested on August 28, 2018 from Hyderabad in connection with the Bhima Koregaon-Elgar Parishad case, in which an FIR was lodged by Pune Police under the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Authorities alleged that inflammatory speeches delivered at the Elgar Parishad conclave in Pune on December 31, 2017, triggered violence the following day near the Koregaon Bhima war memorial.
Initially placed under house arrest, Rao was later shifted to Taloja Jail in Maharashtra. On February 22, 2021, the Bombay High Court granted him bail on medical grounds, leading to his release in March 2021. However, his plea for permanent bail was rejected in April 2022, with the court extending his temporary medical bail instead.
The case was later transferred to the NIA, which continues to probe alleged Maoist links of those involved in organising the conclave.
