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The state government of Maharashtra told the Bombay High Court on Thursday, 2 September, that journalist and Bhima Koregaon accused Gautam Navlakha will be taken to the Tata Memorial Center in Kharghar for a medical checkup on Friday, 3 September.
In a plea moved by Navlakha's counsel, advocate Yug Chaudhary stated that he has developed a lump in his chest.
The bench of Justices SS Shinde and NJ Jamadar had sought the state's answers in the matter, and asked them if they would be willing to take him for the necessary medical examinations at the petitioner's cost.
Chaudhary stated, "As I was saying, he has a lump in his chest. His sister is a nurse in Jaslok, she will make arrangements."
To this, Chaudhary responded, "This is vindictiveness. What is the problem? People have to beg for the smallest of things in jail."
However, responding to the court's suggestion to make an application requesting tests at Jaslok Hospital, the counsel stated,
On Thursday, the 69-year-old who is presently lodged in Taloja prison had approached the Bombay High Court seeking house arrest owing to his deteriorating medical condition.
In his plea, he sough the court's directions to Taloja prison authorities to let him get medically examined for a lump developed in his chest. Chaudhry, as well as Navlakha's other counsel and Payoshi Roy had submitted that the medical examination was imperative to rule out cancer, news agency PTI reported.
Navlakha is one of the 11 activists, academics, and lawyers who were accused of having Naxal links and giving inflammatory speeches at Pune’s Elgar Parishad meet, which instigated the violence in Bhima Koregaon on 1 January 2018.
He, among others, was booked by the Pune Police under the contentious Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967.
(With inputs from Livelaw and PTI)
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