Deepali Kalia
Bombay High Court directed the Dean of JJ Hospital to constitute a committee of doctors including Neuro physician, ENT, Orthopedist, General Physician and any other doctor required to examine the health of Father Stan Swamy (84 years old) who is a tribal rights activist and an accused in Bhima Koregaon Elgar Parishad case.
A bench comprising of Justices SJ Kathawalla and Surendra Tavade ordered the Superintendent of Taloja Central Prison to send the activist to JJ hospital at 12pm on May 20th.
The court further ordered the JJ hospital Committee to submit their report on May 21 by 11 am and stated that if possible father should be, via video conference (if Tajola prison possessed the required facility) produced before the court at 10:30am on May 21.
According to the plea Father Stan Swamy suffers from several debilitating conditions such as acute Parkinson’s, hearing loss in both of his ears, an intense pain due to Lumbar Spondylitis (wear and tear of Lumbar discs) and tremors in both hands and has had two hernia operations.
The Taloja jail’s report however stated that Father Stan Swamy has been provided several services such as two attendants for aid and hot water for bathing and even a high protein diet along with regular visits from a psychiatrist.
“However, the report doesn’t mention anything about his complaints”, the bench noted to which ASG Anil Singh replied that Father Stan had never complained about anything and had expressed his satisfaction with respect to the services given.
The court then passed the order, “We direct the Taloja prison Superintendent to take the appellant to JJ Hospital at 12 noon tomorrow. In the event of Taloja Prison has a video-conferencing facility they shall arrange a meeting of the appellant with this court on May 21st at 10.30am.”
On October 8th 2020, Father Stan Swamy was apprehended and charged under various sections of IPC and offences listed under the UAPA act (Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act)
for allegedly promoting the causes of the banned Communist Party of India through various civil rights activist organizations he is part of. He and 15 other human right activists have been charged in the following case.