SC dismisses bail plea of activist Gautam Navlakha in Bhima Koregaon case

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea of activist Gautam Navlakha, seeking bail in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist link case of Bhima Koregaon in Maharashtra.

A bench of justices UU Lalit and K M Joseph dismissed the appeal of Navlakha against the Bombay High Court order denying him bail in the case.

On March 26, the top court had reserved its verdict on a plea of Navlakha seeking bail in the case.

The top court had on March 3, sought response from the NIA on the plea of Navlakha seeking default bail in the case, claiming the charge sheet was not filed within the stipulated time period.

The FIR against him was re-registered in January 2020, and Navlakha surrendered before the NIA on April 14, last year.

He had spent 11 days in the NIA’s custody till April 25, and since then he is in judicial custody in the Taloja jail in neighbouring Navi Mumbai.

According to police, some activists allegedly made inflammatory speeches and provocative statements at the Elgar Parishad meet in Pune on December 31, 2017, which triggered violence at Koregaon Bhima in the district the next day.