Bombay High Court grants bail to two activists in Elgar Parishad case

The Bombay High Court on Friday granted bail to activists Sagar Gorkhe and Ramesh Gaichor in the Elgar Parishad–Bhima Koregaon case, citing parity with other accused who have already been released.

A bench headed by justice A.S. Gadkari noted that several co-accused in the case had been granted bail on the grounds of prolonged incarceration and the likelihood that the trial would not begin in the near future. On that basis, the court held that Gorkhe and Gaichor were also entitled to similar relief.

The two were arrested in September 2020 and have been lodged at Taloja Central Prison since then. They are accused of being active members of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist).

The court directed them to furnish bail bonds of Rs 1 lakh each and to report to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) office once every month as a condition of their release.

At least 16 people, including lawyers, activists and academics, were charged in the case in connection with allegedly inflammatory speeches delivered at the Elgar Parishad conclave in Pune on 31 December 2017. The following day, violence broke out at Koregaon Bhima, near Pune, resulting in widespread unrest.

The Pune police, which initially investigated the matter, alleged that Maoist groups had supported the conclave. The probe was later transferred to the NIA.

With Friday’s order, all accused except lawyer Surendra Gadling have now been granted bail. Jesuit priest and tribal rights activist Father Stan Swamy, one of the accused, died in custody in July 2021 while awaiting trial.

Other accused in the case include poet Varavara Rao, activists Sudha Bharadwaj, Anand Teltumbde, Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Ferreira, Shoma Sen, Gautam Navlakha, Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson, Jyoti Jagtao and Mahesh Raut.

With PTI inputs