The Bombay High Court on Friday granted bail to activists Sagar Gorkhe and Ramesh Gaichor in the Elgar Parishad Bhima Koregaon case, more than four years after their arrest. The court said they were entitled to bail on the same grounds as other accused who have already been released.
A bench led by Justice A S Gadkari observed that several co accused in the case had been granted bail due to long periods of imprisonment and the fact that the trial is unlikely to begin anytime soon. On this basis, the court said Gorkhe and Gaichor should also receive similar relief.
The two activists were arrested in September 2020 and have been lodged in Taloja Central Prison since then. They are accused of having links with the banned Communist Party of India Maoist.As part of the bail conditions, the court directed them to furnish personal bonds of Rs one lakh each. They have also been asked to report to the National Investigation Agency office once every month.
The Elgar Parishad case relates to an event held in Pune on December 31, 2017, where alleged inflammatory speeches were delivered. Violence broke out the next day at Koregaon Bhima near Pune, leading to widespread unrest in the area.
Initially, the case was investigated by the Pune police, which claimed that Maoist groups had backed the conclave. Later, the investigation was handed over to the NIA.With this order, all accused in the case except lawyer Surendra Gadling have now been granted bail. Jesuit priest and tribal rights activist Father Stan Swamy, who was also an 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.
