The Maharashtra government on Tuesday sought time to find out if COVID-19 test has been done on Anand Teltumbde lodged at the Taloja central jail.
A division bench of justices RD Dhanuka and VG 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 the 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 and Mr. Rao tested positive for COVID-19 on July 16. He also noted that Mr. Gonsalves’s wife was not permitted to talk to him.
Public Prosecutor Deepak Thakare said a swab test was conducted on Mr. Gonsalves and he tested negative. He added that he needed time to take instructions on whether a test had 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, a writer and a columnist, suffers from hypertension, high blood pressure and bleeding piles. Mr. Teltumbde, a professor, 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 says they are both senior citizens and have underlying health ailments and vulnerable to contracting the virus. It adds they ought to be shifted to a hospital and immediately tested for COVID-19 and kept in isolation for the safety of others.
