Bhima Koregaon case: SC dismisses Gautam Navlakha's plea seeking bail amid COVID surge

In a setback to activist Gautam Navlakha, Supreme Court on Tuesday, dismissed his bail plea in connection of Elgar Parishad-Maoist link of the Bhima Koregaon. Navlakha surrendered to NIA custody in Delhi on April 14, 2020 and was 'hurriedly' transferred from Delhi to Mumbai while his bail hearing was pending in Delhi high court. Recently, Delhi University assistant professor Hany Babu's family said that he is suffering from an acute eye infection seeking proper medical treatment for him.

Gautam Navlakha's bail rejected

On February 2021, the Bombay High Court granted interim bail for six months on medical grounds to ailing poet and activist Varavara Rao. Noting his "precarious" health condition, quality of medical aid provided to him in prison, and medical facilities available at the Taloja prison in neighbouring Navi Mumbai, Bombay HC ordered that depending on his current health condition, Rao be discharged from the hospital, and released on bail immediately after that. Apart from 80-year old Varavara Rao, all accused in the Bhima Koregaon case have been denied bail inspite of the courts ordering undertrial prisoners to be released to avoid overcrowding jails amid COVID surge.

What is the Elgar Parishad case?

Pune police booked activists Sudha Bharadwaj, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, Surendra Gadling, Sudhir Dhawale, P Varavara Rao, Gautam Navlakha, Anand Teltumbde for allegedly inciting the Bhima Koregaon violence through their speech at the Elgar Parishad meeting on December 31, 2017, under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). On the following day - January 1, 2018, violence had erupted at Koregaon-Bhima village in Pune district where supporters had gathered in the village to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Bhima Koregaon. The ensuing violence had resulted in the death of one person and several others had been injured - 152 have been arrested.

The above-mentioned activists have been charged with  'conspiracy to assassinate PM Narendra Modi', 'overthrow the government', 'waging war against the Government of India'. They are also being probed for links with the banned CPI (Maoists) party.  If convicted under 'waging war against India', all activists face the death sentence or imprisonment for life. Once the new Maha Vikas Aghadi government came into power, it mulled to review the case, leading to the NIA taking over the case on January 24.  Within 10 days - on February 3, NIA registered an FIR in the Elgar Parishad case charging 11 people under the provisions of the anti-terror law UAPA and several IPC sections. All accused are currently in jail.