Stan Swamy finally given straw and sipper by Taloja jail authorities

The advocate of activist Father Stan Swamy, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, on Friday told a special court that Swamy has been given a straw and sipper by the Taloja jail authorities.

Swamy, 83, on Friday filed three fresh applications seeking a direction to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to return his bag (seized by it at the time of his arrest), a clone copy of his hard disk (seized by it) and a direction to not transfer him from Taloja jail. Swamy claimed that he apprehends that he would be transferred from the Taloja prison in Navi Mumbai.

Swamy, who is suffering from various health ailments including Parkinson's disease, was arrested on October 8 by the NIA. Last month, he had filed an application seeking the NIA to return the straw and sipper allegedly seized from him at the time of his arrest.

The NIA, however, told the court last month that it had not seized a straw and sipper from Swamy and hence there was no question of returning those items to him. Swamy then filed an application seeking a direction to the jail authorities to provide him a straw and sipper and winter clothes. On November 26, the special NIA Court had directed the jail superintendent to file his reply on the application.

On Friday, Swami's advocate Sharif Shaikh told special NIA Judge D E Kothalikar that Swamy has been provided with straw and sipper and winter clothes by the jail authorities. Swamy had also filed a bail plea on medical grounds.

The court had sought a report from the Taloja prison on his health condition. On Friday, the jail authorities told the court that they need time to submit the report, following which court posted the matter for further hearing on December 10.

The court said it would also hear the three new applications filed by Swamy on December 10. NIA's lawyer Prakash Shetty told the court that the agency does not have any items belonging to Swamy.

As per NIA, Swamy was involved in the activities of the banned CPI (Maoist) and had received funds through an associate for furthering Maoist agenda. He was also the convener of the Persecuted Prisoners Solidarity Committee (PPSC), a frontal organisation of the CPI (Maoist), the NIA claimed.