Mumbai: Priest-activist Stan Swamy, arrested under an anti-terror law in the Elgar Parishad case, died at a Mumbai hospital on Monday in the middle of his fight for bail on health grounds.

The 84-year-old Jesuit priest – possibly the oldest person to be accused of terrorism in India, as per his lawyer – had been on a ventilator since Sunday after his health worsened rapidly. Dr Ian D’Souza, director of the Bandra-based private Holy Family Hospital, where Swamy was undergoing treatment, and the tribal rights activist’s lawyer Mihir Desai informed a bench of the Bombay High Court of his death following cardiac arrest.

The bench, comprising Justices S S Shinde and N J Jamadar, expressed shock over the news and said it was at a loss of words and hoped Swamy’s soul would rest in peace.

Swamy, the oldest among the 16 accused persons arrested in the Elgar Parishad case and possibly the oldest in India to be charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the lawyer said.

Those arrested include some of India’s most-respected scholars, lawyers, academicians, cultural activists and an ageing radical poet, who then contracted coronavirus in prison.

Condolences poured in for the tribal rights activist, with many bemoaning his demise. The Jesuit Provincial of India expressed grief over Swamy’s death. In a statement, it said the priest had worked all his life for the “Adivasis, Dalits and marginalised communities so that the poor may have life with dignity and honour.”

“Heartfelt condolences on the passing of Father Stan Swamy. He deserved justice and humaneness,” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted.