Poet-activist Varavara Rao, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist case, has been released after he got discharged from Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai. The 82-year-old activist, who was granted interim bail for six months on medical grounds by the Bombay High Court on February 22, was discharged from the private hospital late on Saturday night.

Rao was arrested in 2018 and has been in jail since. He contracted Covid-19 in July 2020 and has been in and out of the hospital because of his health. On July 16 this year, he tested positive for coronavirus, after which he was shifted to the Nanavati hospital in the city. He was discharged from Nanavati following a final assessment report on July 30 and sent back to the Taloja prison.

In November last year, he was admitted to Nanavati Hospital again following the intervention of a bench of Justice Shinde and Justice MS Karnik. It had earlier directed that he be released immediately on bail after being discharged from the hospital.

Rao had been admitted to the private hospital due to ill-health. He had been undergoing treatment at the Mumbai suburban private hospital on the orders of the high court.

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