Stan Swamy, an 83-year-old tribal rights activist, will have to wait till next Friday to discover if his request for a straw, a sipper cup and winter clothes will be granted to him. Swamy, a Parkinson’s disease patient, is currently jailed in Taloja Central after being arrested from his house in Ranchi on October 8 for his alleged role in inciting riots at Bhima Koregaon in 2018.
When arrested, he carried a small bag with a few belongings, including a straw and a sipper cup. But they were not handed to him when he entered the jail, said Swamy’s lawyer Sharif Sheikh.
Earlier, Swamy had filed a plea seeking the return of the straw and sipper cup that was confiscated during his arrest. The National Investigating Agency (NIA), however filed a reply to his petition stating that they did not take it from him.
Based on the agency’s response, the special court rejected Swamy’s application, and the activist moved a fresh application seeking permission to use a straw and sipper cup along with winter clothes inside the jail.
The court has sought the reply from the jail authorities and has suspended the matter till December 4.
The medical plea of Swamy had stated that he has almost lost his hearing ability in both ears, has been operated on for hernia twice and still has pain in the lower abdomen. Sharif Sheikh, Swamy’s lawyer, told a special court in Mumbai that he has been finding it difficult to hold even a cup due to Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s disease is a brain disorder that leads to shaking, stiffness and difficulty with walking, balancing and coordination.
This incident of Swamy, a Jesuit priest and a senior tribal rights activist working for decades, is nothing but a deliberate delay in providing a necessary comfort.
