Bhima Koregaon case: Supreme Court granted bail to activist Varavara Rao on medical ground

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• Aug 10, 2022 | Dhupali Das

It stated that he must not misuse his freedom and must not communicate with any witnesses...

Digital Desk: Supreme Court on Wednesday (August 10) granted regular bail to activist Dr. P Varavara Rao on medical grounds. 

The 84-year-old was a defendant in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence case.

The judgment was issued by a bench of Justices UU Lalit, Aniruddha Bose, and Sudhanshu Dhulia in response to Rao's Special Leave Petition appealing the Bombay High Court's April 13 order refusing to grant him permanent bail on medical grounds.

Rao is currently free on temporary bail.

In its order, the Supreme Court stated that Rao will not leave the jurisdiction of the relevant trial court without the trial court's permission.

It stated that he must not misuse his freedom and must not communicate with any witnesses.

Additionally, the SC said that Rao has the right to receive medical care of his choosing and must tell NIA about that care.

The SC further stated that the bail was exclusively granted for medical reasons and that this decision would not affect the cases of any other defendants.

The case allegedly stems from provocative remarks made at the Elgar Parishad conclave in Pune on December 31, 2017, which, according to the police, led to unrest the following day near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial outside the western Maharashtra city.

The Pune Police claimed that the conclave was organized by people with alleged Maoist ties. Later, the investigation was taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Rao was arrested on August 28, 2018, from his Hyderabad home and is currently on trial in the case. On January 8, 2018, the Pune Police Department filed an FIR under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.