After learning that 84-year-old tribal rights activist from Ranchi Father Stan Swamy had tested positive for covid-19, the Bombay High Court on Thursday (June 10, 2021) extended his stay in a private hospital until June 18 for him.
In the Bhima Koregaon - Elgar Parishad caste-based violence case, he is charged. Before adjourning his petition for hearing on June 18, a division bench of Justices SS Shinde and NJ Jamadar ordered Holy Family Hospital to submit a report on the octogenarian's health by June 17.
Last October, the court heard an appeal against the Special NIA court's decision to deny Father Stan interim emergency bail. On medical grounds, the plea asks for his release on interim bail.
Father Swamy, one of the first people to be charged under the strict Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, suffers from acute Parkinson's disease, hearing loss in both ears, and has had two hernia operations. He also has lumbar spondylosis, or wear and tear of the lumbar disc, as well as tremors in both hands.
Father Swamy had refused to be admitted to a hospital during an earlier hearing before the vacation bench, pleading with the court to grant him interim bail so that he could be with his family. He told the court that his health had gotten worse while he was in prison.
'I'd rather suffer, and possibly die very soon if this continues... my deterioration is more powerful than the small tablets they give," Father Swamy had said. His lawyer, Senior Advocate Mihir Desai, asked the court for more time to persuade him to seek treatment in a hospital.
Desai finally went to court on May 28 with an urgent request because his condition was rapidly deteriorating. Justice Shinde's bench ordered the State to immediately transfer Swamy to a private hospital for a period of 15 days. Desai, assisted by Advocate Mihir Joshi, asked the court on Thursday to uphold its earlier order and extend Father Swamy's hospital stay.
Father Swamy tested positive for two days after being admitted to the hospital, according to him, and is currently receiving treatment. The bench said they would continue their earlier order until June 18, when they were likely to hear his medical bail plea, citing no significant opposition from the State or the National Investigative Agency.
On October 8, 2020, Father Stan was arrested and charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for allegedly aiding the banned CPI (Maoist) through various civil rights organisations to which he belongs. Along with 15 other human rights activists, he has been charged. Father Stan is the founder of Bagaicha, an Adivasi empowerment organisation that also fights against the illegal detention of minors accused of being Maoists. According to the NIA, Bagaicha is linked to the Vistapan Virodhi Jan Vikas Andolan (VVJVA), which is a frontal organisation of the CPI (Maoist).
