HC asks JJ Hosp to form expert panel to examine Stan Swamy

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court directed the Taloja prison authorities on Wednesday to take jesuit priest Stan Swamy, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, to the JJ Hospital here for a medical examination.

Swamy, 84, must be examined at the state-run medical facility at 10.30 am on Thursday, it said.

A vacation bench of Justices S J Kathawalla and S P Tavade directed the hospital's dean to form a committee of expert doctors, including a neuro-physician, an ENT

specialist, an orthopaedic, a general physician, and other doctor required, to examine Swamy.

The bench also directed the state government to submit a report of the medical examination before the HC by May 21.

The court asked authorities of the Taloja prison in neighbouring Navi Mumbai, where Swamy is lodged, to arrange for him to be produced before the HC via video-conferencing at 4 pm on May 21, if the prison has such facilities.

Swamy had approached the HC earlier this year through senior counsel Mihir Desai, challenging a special court's decision in March wherein the latter rejected his bail sought on medical grounds and on merits.

During the last hearing in the HC on May 4, a bench led by Justice Shinde directed the state authorities to file a report on Swamy's current health condition by May 15.

Advocate Desai had then told the bench that Swamy was arrested in October 2020 and since his arrest, he has remained in the Taloja prison hospital.

Swamy is in the advanced stage of Parkinson's disease, Desai had said.

He has lost the ability to hear, and given the raging COVID-19 pandemic, the court must at least grant Swamy temporary bail, the advocate had said.

On Thursday, the state and the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is conducting a probe into the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, opposed Swamy's bail plea.

The state's counsel, Y P Yagnik, told the HC that Swamy was being taken care of in the prison.

He said Swamy was being provided hot water for bathing, a sipper cup, hearing aid and two attendants to assist him in the prison.