Bhima Koregaon case: hearing on bail plea of ​​Gautam Navlakha in Supreme Court today

New Delhi
The Supreme Court will hear the bail plea of ​​activist Gautam Navlakha in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist relations case today. On March 15, a bench of Justice UU Lalit and Justice KM Joseph asked the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to file a reply to Navlakha’s bail plea in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist relations case. The bench had decided to hear the case on 22 March.

The bench had taken cognizance of Additional Solicitor General SV Raju’s representation that the NIA should get some more time to file an answer on Navlakha’s bail plea. Navlakha challenged the Bombay High Court order of 8 February dismissing the bail plea in the apex court on 19 February.

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The activist has argued that the NIA did not file a charge sheet within the stipulated period of 90 days, hence forms the basis of bail. The High Court had said that the 34-day house arrest of a worker cannot be considered as a period spent in jail. According to the police, some activists allegedly gave provocative and inflammatory speeches at the Elgar Parishad meeting in Pune on December 31, 2017, causing violence in Koregaon Bhima in the district the next day.

The police have also alleged that the program was backed by some Maoist organizations. Navlakha challenged the NIA court’s order of July 12, 2020, dismissing her bail plea in the High Court last year. The High Court had on 16 December last year reserved its verdict on Navlakha’s plea seeking statutory bail on the ground that he had been in custody for more than 90 days but the prosecution could not file a charge sheet during this period.

Gautam Navlakha approached the Supreme Court for bail
The NIA had contended that the plea was not considered and sought extension of time for filing the charge sheet. Subsequently, the special court granted the time period for filing the charge sheet against Navlakha and his co-accused Dr Anand Teltumbde NIA’s request to increase from 90 days to 180 days was accepted.