Bhima Koregaon case: SC declines to consider interim bail plea of activist Sudha Bhardwaj

The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to consider interim bail plea by lawyer-activist Sudha Bhardwaj on medical ground amid Covid-19 pandemic. She has been arrested in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case.

A bench of Justices U U Lalit, Vineet Saran and Ajay Rastogi noted she was already being examined and given medication. She can file a regular bail if advised, they said.

Advocate Vrinda Grover, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that she has been in custody for two years as an undertrial. She sought interim bail for the petitioner as she suffered from diabetes and other comorbidities.

The counsel claimed the petitioner developed two diseases during her custody. One is a heart disease which is a ticking time bomb and another is arthritis, she said.

The bench, however, after going through the records, pointed out she was 58-year-old and was being provided all medications and her conditions did not look very serious.

When the bench sought to know the case against her, Grover said there was a charge of criminal conspiracy, though she was practicing in Chhattisgarh High Court at Bilaspur. The bench, then, said: "If you have a good case why she did not file a fresh bail plea."

Grover, to this, responded that one petition was pending. The bench asked her to withdraw the plea to which the counsel agreed.