Activist Varavara Rao discharged from hospital, released on interim bail

Poet and activist Varavara Rao, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, was discharged from a Mumbai hospital on late Saturday night, sources said.

Telugu poet and activist Varavara Rao, an accused in the Elgar Parishad case being probed by the National Investigating Agency (NIA), was discharged from Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai on late Saturday night, news agency PTI quoted sources as saying. Rao, 82, was initially arrested by the Pune Police under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for having connections with banned Maoist groups. He was granted bail on medical grounds for six months by the Bombay High Court on February 22. However, he has been ordered to stay within Mumbai after his release. When the high court granted him bail on February 22 on various conditions, Rao had to look for two persons who could stand as surety for an amount of Rs 50,000. His lawyers had called this process tedious and sought leniency.