Bombay HC grants bail to activist Gadling in Elgar Parishad case
Court cites prolonged incarceration, trial delay; all accused now out on bail
The Bombay High Court on Monday granted bail to activist Surendra Gadling, who was arrested in 2018 in the Elgar Parishad–Maoist links case, citing his prolonged incarceration and the unlikelihood of the trial beginning soon.
A bench led by Justice A.S. Gadkari, while hearing Gadling’s plea, also observed that all other accused in the case have already been granted bail, and that he should receive the same relief on grounds of parity.
With this order, all those arrested in the over eight-year-old case are now out on bail. Stan Swamy, an 84-year-old priest and tribal rights activist, had died in custody in July 2021 while awaiting trial.
At least 16 individuals — including lawyers, activists and academics — were booked in connection with allegedly provocative speeches delivered at the Elgar Parishad conclave held at Shaniwarwada in Pune on 31 December 2017.
Police had alleged that the speeches triggered violence at Koregaon-Bhima on the outskirts of Pune the following day. The initial probe by Pune Police claimed Maoist backing for the event, before the National Investigation Agency took over the investigation.
Other accused in the case include Varavara Rao, Sudha Bharadwaj, Anand Teltumbde, Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Ferreira, Shoma Sen, Gautam Navlakha, Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson, Jyoti Jagtao and Mahesh Raut.
With PTI inputs