The Supreme Court has allowed the parties to inspect the reports filed by the hospital regarding the health status of Gautam Navlakha, accused in the Bhima Koregaon case.
A bench of Justices KM Joseph and Hrishikesh Roy posted the matter for hearing on November 9 after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that Navlakha is being treated in Mumbai’s Jaslok hospital. As the hospital has filed the report, the bench ordered, “Parties are granted liberty to inspect the medical reports by Jaslok hospital.”
Earlier, the apex court had allowed the Superintendent of Taloja prison in Maharashtra to shift jailed activist Navlakha to Mumbai’s Jaslok hospital for medical checkup and treatment.
It had said that receiving medical treatment is a fundamental right of a prisoner.
The top court was hearing a plea of Navlakha seeking direction that he be placed under house arrest instead of judicial custody in Taloja jail.
70-year-old Navlakha had told the bench that he has colon cancer and requires a colonoscopy and also a check for skin allergies and dental issues.
National Investigation Agency (NIA) had opposed Navlakha’s request for shifting him to house arrest and for a medical checkup.
Navlakha had moved the top court challenging the April 26 order of the Bombay High Court which had dismissed his plea for house arrest over apprehensions of lack of adequate medical and other basic facilities in Taloja jail near Mumbai where he is currently lodged.
The High Court had said Navlakha’s apprehensions about the lack of medical aid and inadequate basic facilities at the Taloja prison, were “ill-founded”.
He had approached the High Court saying that the Taloja prison has poor facilities, overcrowded, and his medical condition deteriorated during his incarceration there.
Navlakha, one of the several civil liberties activists in the Bhima Koregaon case, has been booked under stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for an alleged conspiracy to topple the government.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had granted bail to 82-year-old activist P Varavara Rao in the case.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by HW News staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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