Father Stan Swamy Gets Straw & Sipper, Files Fresh Application Expressing Fear Of Transfer From Taloja Jail

Appearing on behalf of Father Stan, Advocate Sharif Shaikh informed the Court that his client had received straw and sipper sought by him, citing shaking of hands due to Parkinson's disease. Along with this, he submitted that Father Stan had also received winter clothes from the jail superintendent.

Three fresh applications have been filed on behalf of Father Stan. First application seeks directions to the NIA to return the bag which was seized at the time of Father Stan Swamy's arrest on October 8. The second application seeks a clone copy of the hard disk seized from him at the time of arrest and finally, the third application seeks directions to not transfer him from Taloja jail without an order of the Special NIA Court.

Father Stan's apprehension that he may be shifted out of Taloja jail stems from the fact that he overheard a jail official say the same. Taloja jail is where all the other accused in the Bhima Koregaon case are lodged.

Special Public Prosecutor Prakash Shetty opposed the fresh applications filed by Adv Sharif Shaikh and submitted that it will simply add to the Court's burden. Court asked NIA to file a reply to the said applications by the next date of hearing.

The octogenarian was arrested by the NIA on October 8 from his residence at Ranchi and was brought to Mumbai the next day. He was remanded to judicial custody from October 9. The bail application cites his various medical ailments -

"The Applicant is an 83-year-old citizen of India with many ailments including hearing loss from both ears and arms injury. He has undergone two hernia operations, and still suffering from abdomen pain, he suffers intense pain from lumbar spondylosis i.e. is the tear and wear of the lumbar disc and tremors in both hands due to Parkinsons. Infact, he has been shifted to the Prison hospital and is being taken care of by other inmates."

Twenty days after Father Stan filed his application seeking straw and sipper on November 6, NIA filed its reply after seeking time, and the agency told the Court that they did not recover any straw and sipper from him at the time of his arrest hence they could not provide him the same.

After NIA's reply expressing their inability to grant Father Stan Swamy's request seeking straw and sipper, a group of lawyers sent straws and sippers for him to Taloja jail.

Pleading his innocence, Father Stan contends in his bail application that the NIA has failed to establish any prima facie case against him or his involvement in the Bhima Koregaon case. Moreover, he alleges that he is being targeted by the investigating agency due to the nature of his writings.

The writings/literature written by the applicant is about the caste and land struggles of the people in India, and includes research on undertrial adivasis. He writes about violation of the democratic rights of the marginalized citizens of India, the plea states.

The next date of hearing in Father Stan Swamy's application is December 10.