Kriti Agrawal
The Bombay High Court ordered the Maharashtra government to produce the most recent medical report of lawyer-activist Sudha Bharadwaj, who is being held at the Byculla women’s prison in connection with the Elgar-Parishad Maoists ties event.
Her parent, Maaysha Singh, had petitioned the High Court for interim bail for Bharadwaj on medical grounds, citing the activist’s co-morbidities and the possibility of contracting covid-19 while incarcerated.
Yug Chaudhry, Bharadwaj’s lawyer, told a bench of Justice KK Tated and Justice Abhay Ahuja that she had diabetes, heart disease, and a history of tuberculosis.
According to Chaudhry, Bharadwaj was held in a prison ward with 50 other women in extremely unsanitary conditions, with only three toilets for all of them.
Bharadwaj was already scheduled to be taken to Mumbai’s JJ Hospital for a checkup in evening, according to the state’s counsel, Jayesh Yagnik.
The Court ordered Yagnik to present Bharadwaj’s report from the checkup at the state-run JJ Hospital by May 17.
Chaudhry also said that he and Bharadwaj’s family had made 18 calls to the Byculla prison in the past few days, but the prison warden had refused to answer.
Chaudhary also demanded that the state be ordered to file a response to the concerns posed in the plea about the prison’s unsanitary conditions and the impossibility of social distancing there.
The bench, on the other hand, stated that the state was operating with just 15% of its workforce and could not be required to file such a response immediately.
Sandesh Patil, the NIA’s lawyer, opposed the bail application, telling the High Court that there was no urgency in the case.
On May 21, the High Court will hear the bail petition again.