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Father Stan Swamy is a Jesuit priest and a tribal rights activist based in Jharkhand. The Bombay High Court on Thursday extended the stay of Father Stan Swamy, the 84-year-old Jesuit priest and activist arrested in the Elgaar Parishad case, in the Holy Family Hospital in Bandra till June 18. The court also sought Swamy’s health report from the hospital after it was informed that Swamy has tested positive for Covid-19.
The High Court had on May 28 directed the state prison authorities to shift Swamy, who was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in October last year, from Taloja Central Jail in Navi Mumbai to Holy Family Hospital in Bandra for 15 days. The court asked Swamy to bear the cost of treatment at the private hospital.
Swamy was shifted to Holy Family Hospital on May 28 night where he was put in the intensive care unit (ICU) and on oxygen support and later tested positive for Covid-19.
As per the Taloja jail superintendent, Swamy’s lawyers had communicated his Covid-19 positive status on May 30 morning following which the jail official had sought his health status from the hospital.
On Thursday, senior counsel Mihir Desai, representing Swamy, mentioned Swamy’s plea before a Division Bench of Justices S S Shinde and N J Jamadar. The plea seeks interim bail after the special NIA court rejected Swamy’s petition that cited his health and the current Covid-19 situation as grounds.
Desai informed the Court that Swamy had tested positive for Covid-19 and his stay in a private hospital, which was expiring on June 14, be extended in view of the infection, which the HC “deemed appropriate” and extended the same till June 18.
The High Court has posted the matter for further hearing on June 17.
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