Bhima-Koregaon Case: Bombay High Court Seeks NIA Response On Varavara Rao's Plea To Shift To Hyderabad

The Bombay High Court on Friday (June 12) issued notice on petition by 85-year-old Telugu Poet P Varavara Rao, accused under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act in the Bhima Koregaon case, seeking permission to move to Hyderabad stating that living in Mumbai is not affordable for him. 

Rao, has challenged a March 16 order passed by a special NIA Court, which dismissed his application to reside in Hyderabad.

Notably, one of the conditions imposed on Rao while granting him bail, is that he cannot leave Mumbai. 

A division bench of Justice Ajay Gadkari & Justice Kamal Khata has issued notice on the plea.

The high court has ordered the NIA to file it's reply within 2 weeks.  

Last year, the Supreme Court refused to entertain a plea to modify the medical bail condition imposed Rao, which requires him to seek prior permission from the Trial Court if he wishes to leave the Greater Mumbai area.

In 2022, the Supreme Court had granted bail on medical grounds to Rao, who has been booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act in the Bhima Koregaon case for alleged links with banned Maoist organization.

Rao was arrested in the case four years ago on August 28, 2018. He was taken to Taloja jail in Mumbai in November 2018. In 2020, he was shifted to hospital when his medical conditions got aggravated. In February 2021, he was allowed 6-months medical bail by the High Court. The medical bail was extended from time to time. However, in on April 13, 2022, the High Court refused to grant him permanent bail and extended the medical bail temporarily by three more months. He was asked to surrender in jail after the period of three months. The Supreme Court extended the temporary bail period until further orders while considering his SLP.

Background

The NIA has accused Rao and 14 other activists of furthering the agenda of the banned CPI(Maoist) and conspiring to overthrow the government. They are booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) based on letters/emails primarily retrieved from their electronic devices.

As part of a criminal conspiracy, NIA alleged that the Elgar Parishad Cultural Event was organized in Pune on December 31, 2017. The agency alleged that the inflammatory speeches at the event contributed to the caste violence at Bhima Koregaon the following day.

The accused have claimed that while most of them hadn't participated in the event or weren't named in the FIR, the electronic evidence is planted.