Bhima-Koregaon Case: Bombay HC Grants Interim Bail to Poet-Activist Varavara Rao on Medical Grounds

On Monday, the Bombay HC granted interim bail for six months to poet and activist Varavara Rao on medical grounds. Rao was jailed in the Bhima-Koregaon case. He is currently undergoing treatment at Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai, where he was admitted by the government of Maharashtra last year following an intervention by the High Court. The court ordered Rao to stay in Mumbai and be available for investigation whenever needed.

Bombay High Court bench of Justices S. S. S. Shinde and Manish Pitale, while pronouncing the order said that, if it did not grant bail in the matter, it would fail in its duty to uphold the values of human rights and the fundamental rights of a citizen to life and health.

The court also ordered Rao to not contact any of the co-accused and send his passport to the National Investigation Agency. He was also directed by the HC to furnish a personal bond of approximately 50,000 and two sureties of the same sum.

Rao's daughter Pavani expressed relief following the Bombay HC order. Considering that none of the accused had been granted any relief in the case in the past two and a half years, this is a huge improvement. She informed that she is going to speak to lawyers to decide on the next course of action because Rao will need to remain in Mumbai.

Varavaro Rao, along with nine other activists, is accused in the Bhima-Koregaon case. The police have alleged that the provocative speeches made in December 2017 at the Elgar Parishad conclave in Pune contributed to the next day's abuse. He has been in jail awaiting trial in the case since August 2018.