Fr Stan Swamy SJ The High Court in Mumbai order prison authorities to take an ailing 84-year-old Jesuit to the hospital, as it heard his appeal to receive bail on medical grounds, Indian media reported.
The High Court said Jesuit Fr Stan Swamy must be taken to JJ hospital at noon May 20.
Media reports said the court ordered the hospital to have him examined by a neurologist, orthopaedic physician, general practitioner and ear, nose and throat specialist.
The court ordered the hospital to report back to the judges May 21.
Fr Swamy suffers from Parkinson’s disease, hearing loss and lumbar spondylosis. Jesuits and family members believe he might also have Covid-19.
“Fr Swamy had a severe cold, fever, body pain and diarrhoea and could not even attend a call from his legal team. This indicates that he was suffering from Covid-19,” his elder brother, Irudaya Swamy, 90, told a virtual news conference May 15. “We are not sure if he is getting proper medical attention. His health condition is getting worse.”
The priest has been in Mumbai’s Taloja Central Jail since October 9, a day after he was arrested in Ranchi, capital of Jharkhand state in eastern India.