Apex Court Further Extends Interim Protection for Varavara Rao

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday extended the interim protection granted to activist and poet Dr P Varavara Rao, an accused in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence case and posted the matter for final hearing now on August 10. 

The apex court also issued notice to the National Investigation Authority (NIA) on a plea filed by Varavara Rao, who is seeking bail on medical grounds. A bench of Justices UU Lalit, S Ravindra Bhat and Sudhanshu Dhulia said that its order of extending the interim bail granted on medical grounds Rao will continue. The court had extended Rao’s interim protection on July 12. 

“Interim protection granted earlier on medical grounds extended till further orders,” said the bench in its order.

Octogenarian Varavara Rao has challenged an April 13 judgment of the Bombay High Court order rejecting his appeal for permanent medical bail. He is currently on bail on medical grounds. The high court had also rejected Rao's application to stay in Hyderabad instead of Mumbai, while out on bail.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appeared for NIA while senior advocate Anand Grover represented Rao.

What is Bhima Koregaon-Elgar Parishad case?

The case is related to alleged inflammatory speeches made at the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017. The police claimed it triggered violence the next day near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial on the outskirts of the city.

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Rao was arrested on August 28, 2018, from his home in Hyderabad and is an under-trial in the Bhima Koregaon case for which FIR was lodged by the Pune Police at Vishrambagh Police Station on January 8, 2018, under various sections of IPC and several provisions of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA)