Bhima Koregaon case: Activist Varavara Rao’s request to travel for dental surgery rejected

A special National Investigation Agency court in Mumbai on Thursday rejected a plea by 85-year-old activist and poet Varavara Rao, who is out on bail in the Bhima Koregaon case, seeking permission to travel to Hyderabad for two months for a dental surgery, The Indian Express reported.
The court held that a “satisfactory reason” had not been presented to justify the request and noted that adequate and affordable treatment was available in Mumbai.
Rao was arrested in August 2018 from his Hyderabad residence and is out on medical bail that was granted to him by the Supreme Court in August 2022.
On Thursday, he had sought the court’s permission to travel outside the jurisdiction of the trial court as mandated by his bail conditions.
In his application, Rao cited high treatment costs in Mumbai and said that he preferred to undergo the dental procedure in Hyderabad as his daughter is an ophthalmological officer with the Telangana government, PTI reported.
Rao’s legal team also submitted medical documents to support the request.
However, the court found the documents insufficient to demonstrate the urgency or justify a two-month stay outside Mumbai that the court observed was “too long”, The Indian Express reported.
Special Judge Chakor S Baviskar said that while the Supreme Court had shown “magnanimous humanity” in allowing the possibility of travel with...
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