The Maharashtra government on Tuesday sought time to find out if Prof. Anand Teltumbde, lodged at Taloja Central Jail after being arrested in connection with the Bhima-Koregaon case, has been tested for COVID-19.
A Division Bench of Justices R.D. Dhanuka and V.G. Bisht was hearing two petitions filed by Vernon Gonsalves, 61, and Mr. Teltumbde, 68, urging the court to conduct a swab test on them too as they were in close proximity with Varavara Rao inside Taloja jail.
Senior advocate Mihir Desai, appearing for the duo, informed the court that Mr. Gonsalves was taking care of Mr. Rao inside the hospital jail. Mr. Rao tested positive for COVID-19 on July 16. He also said that Mr. Gonsalves’s wife is not permitted to talk to him.
Public prosecutor Deepak Thakare said a swab test was conducted on Mr. Gonsalves and he has tested negative. Mr. Thakare said he needed some time to take instructions on whether a test has been conducted on Mr. Teltumbde.
The court adjourned the matter to July 31 and directed the jail authorities to permit Mr. Gonsalves to talk to his wife.
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 Limited. He suffers from chronic bronchitis asthma, chronic cervical spondylitis, supraspinatus tendinosis and postrtomegaly.
The plea points out that they are both senior citizens, have underlying health ailments, and are vulnerable to contracting the virus. They ought to be shifted to a hospital and immediately tested for COVID-19 and kept in isolation, the plea submitted.
