A National Investigation Agency court in Mumbai on Friday rejected a petition filed by activist Varavara Rao seeking permission to travel to Hyderabad for a cataract surgery, PTI reported.
Rao is among 15 persons who have been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for allegedly conspiring to set off caste violence in the Bhima Koregaon village near Pune in 2018.
The 83-year-old poet-activist had sought permission to go to Hyderabad for three months for a cataract surgery and post-surgical care. He told the court that he has cataract in both eyes and the condition requires surgery.
However, special judge RN Rokade rejected the petition.
Rao was arrested on August 28, 2018, from his home in Hyderabad. On August 10, the Supreme Court granted him bail on medical grounds.
The Supreme Court, in the order granting bail, had directed the activist to stay in Mumbai city limits and not to leave the metropolis without the permission of the National Investigation Agency court.
Meanwhile, another accused person in the case, Mahesh Raut, filed an application seeking access to medical treatment. The court on Friday told the superintendent of the Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai to provide him medical aid and refer him to a government hospital if needed, according to PTI.
The Elgar Parishad event took place in Pune on December 31, 2017, a day before violent clashes broke out between Maratha and Dalit groups near the Bhima Koregaon village in Maharashtra. Sixteen people were arrested for allegedly plotting the violence.
The National Investigation Agency has alleged that the event was part of a larger Maoist conspiracy to stoke caste violence, destabilise the central government and assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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