Wait For Straw And Sipper Continues For Jailed Activist Stan Swamy As NIA Denies Seizing Them

On Thursday, the National Investigation Agency told a special court that they have not confiscated the straw and sipper of human right activist Stan Swamy who was arrested in the Bhima Koregaon case last month.

The 83-year-old priest who suffers from Parkinson's disease and cannot even hold a glass properly filed an application before the special court seeking permission to use a straw and sipper in Taloja Central Jail reported The New Indian Express.

The prosecution sought 20 days to file a reply claimed that it had no idea or has not seized either a straw or a sipper from the activist.

"Actually, Stan Swamy's lawyers never applied for a straw and sipper," said Special Public Prosecutor Prakash Shetty. "They claimed that while arresting him, we had recovered the straw and sipper from him. We simply said that we have recovered no such articles from him," said the prosecutor.

DE Kothalikar, Special NIA judge rejected Swamy's application after Shetty's response.

The matter relating to the new petition filed for a straw, sipper and winter clothes will be heard on December 4, and the court has directed the medical officer to respond to this matter.

Swamy has not been keeping well for a long time and in his medical plea has stated that he has almost lost his hearing ability, fallen in jail multiple times, and has a lot of pain in the lower abdomen as he has been operated for hernia twice.

Swamy is alleged to be a member of the banned Communist Party of India and was arrested for involvement in a conspiracy to instigate caste violence in Bhima Koregaon village near Pune in 2018 and was arrested by NIA in Ranchi on October 8 and brought to Mumbai the next day, he has been in judicial custody since October 9.

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