The Supreme Court on Friday (September 19, 2025) declined to entertain a request by activist and poet P. Varavara Rao, an accused in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence case in Maharashtra, seeking an alteration of his bail conditions.
Mr. Rao had specifically asked for a modification of the condition that required him to obtain prior permission from the trial court before leaving the Greater Mumbai area.
A Bench comprising Justices J.K. Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi expressed their reluctance to grant this modification, leading to the dismissal of the matter as withdrawn.
“The government will take care of his health or he should go to the same court. We are not interested,” the Bench stated clearly.
Senior advocate Anand Grover, representing Mr. Rao, submitted that the activist has been out on bail for four years, but his health continues to decline. Mr. Grover further explained that Mr. Rao’s wife, who previously cared for him, has since moved to Hyderabad, leaving no one to look after him at present. He also pointed out that the trial is not expected to conclude anytime soon.
It is worth noting that the Supreme Court had initially granted Mr. Rao bail on medical grounds on August 10, 2022.
At that time, the Supreme Court had observed, “He is 82 years old. He has been in custody for two and a half years. Though a chargesheet has been filed, some of the accused are still not apprehended, and the matter has not been taken up for framing of charges against the accused before the court.”
The Bench had further clarified, “This bail is purely on medical grounds. The order shall not be a precedent for the cases of other accused or the appellant itself on merits.”
The Supreme Court’s order had explicitly instructed Mr. Rao not to leave Mumbai’s jurisdiction without the trial court’s express permission. It also stipulated that he should not misuse his liberty or contact witnesses. While he was entitled to medical treatment of his choice, he was required to keep the NIA (National Investigation Agency) informed.
The Telugu poet was arrested on August 28, 2018, from his residence in Hyderabad. He was an under-trial in the Bhima Koregaon case, stemming from an FIR lodged by the Pune Police on January 8, 2018, under various sections of the IPC and provisions of the UAPA.
Initially placed under house arrest, Mr. Rao was subsequently taken into police custody on November 17, 2018, and later transferred to Taloja Jail in Maharashtra.
On February 22, 2021, the Bombay High Court granted him bail on medical grounds, leading to his release on March 6. However, on April 13, 2022, the Court rejected his plea for permanent bail but extended his temporary medical bail for three months. The court also dismissed his request to be transferred back to Telangana. He has remained on medical bail in Mumbai.
The case revolves around alleged inflammatory speeches delivered at the Elgar Parishad conclave in Pune on December 31, 2017, which police claim incited violence the following day near the Koregaon Bhima war memorial on the outskirts of the western Maharashtra city. The Pune police alleged that the conclave was organized by individuals with Maoist connections, a probe later taken over by the NIA.