After P. Varavara Rao, 81, tested positive for COVID-19, co-accused Vernon Gonsalves, 61, and Anand Teltumbde, 68, in the Bhima Koregaon case, have moved the Bombay High Court urging the court to conduct a swab test on them, too, as they had been in close proximity with Mr. Rao inside Taloja Central Jail.

Mr. Gonsalves was assigned to take care of Mr. Rao at Taloja Jail and was in close contact with him. The petition filed through advocate Devyani Kulkarni states the duo are at grave risk and there is danger to their lives.

They are under imminent threat of contracting COVID-19 virus or have already contracted the same as fellow co-accused Mr. Rao has tested positive.

Mr. Gonsalves is a writer and a columnist and suffers from hypertension, high blood pressure and bleeding piles. Mr. Teltumbde is a professor and was the managing director and CEO of Petronet India Ltd. He suffers from chronic bronchitis asthma, chronic cervical spondylitis, supraspinatus tendinosis and postrtomegaly. The plea says they are both senior citizens and have underlying health ailments and are vulnerable to contracting the virus. It adds they ought to be shifted to a hospital and immediately tested for COVID-19 and kept in isolation for the safety of others.

The matter is likely to come up for hearing on July 20 before a single Bench of Justice S.S. Shinde.