Senior advocate Indira Jaising on Tuesday termed the medical report of jailed poet Varavara Rao an “eyewash.” Jaising is representing 81-year-old Varavara Rao at the Bombay High Court seeking his release on medical grounds.
On Tuesday, the Nanavati Hospital doctors were supposed to submit the medical report of Rao, who is suffering from dementia, urinary infection and other ailments, according to his lawyers. However, the medical report via virtual examination by the doctors was submitted just a couple of hours before the court proceedings. Taking objection to this, Jaising argued that the report was incomplete without the test results attached to it. She said that the video examination lasted for only 15 minutes. “This cannot be called a report,” she said, according to Livelaw.in. Jaising said that Rao has not been examined by a neurologist and urologist despite suffering from dementia and a urinary tract infection.
Jaising : The video examination(of #VaravaraRao) lasted for barely 15 minutes. The report was shared only today at 1 PM. This cannot be called a 'report'.#VaravaraRao#BombayHighCourt
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) November 17, 2020
Earlier on November 12, the Bombay High Court had asked the Nanavati Hospital doctors to evaluate the poet’s health condition and submit a medical report, based on which they can decide if he should be shifted to Nanavati Hospital or avail treatment at Taloja jail itself. Indira Jaising had at the time submitted that the July medical report of Rao had found that he had ‘dementia and mental unawareness’.
However, as the report was not furnished until Tuesday, Jaising said that it was a “delaying tactic.” “The report has not been brought on record till November 17. This is a delaying tactic. The report is a complete eyewash,” Jaising said.
The report has not been brought on record till November 17. This is delaying tactic. The report is a complete eyewash : Jaising.#VaravaraRao#BombayHighCourt
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) November 17, 2020
Jaising also said that doctors did not provide a report on dementia, despite categorically mentioning the same in the previous proceeding. She said that the delay does not suit Rao’s failing health condition. As the bench faced repeated technical difficulties in the virtual hearing, the matter was posted for Wednesday, where the hearing would take place physically.
Eighty-one-year-old Varavara Rao has been imprisoned since August 2018 without a trial. He has been arrested in the Bhima Koregaon case for his alleged links with Maoists and the alleged plot to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi.