Bombay High Court granted bail to activists Sagar Gorkhe and Ramesh Gaichor in the Elgar Parishad–Maoist links case, citing parity with co-accused earlier enlarged on bail. The bench noted prolonged custody and remote prospects of an early trial commencing.
MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court granted bail to activists Sagar Gorkhe and Ramesh Gaichor, who are implicated in the Elgar Parishad–Maoist links case. The court’s decision was based on the principle of parity with other co-accused who have previously received similar relief.
A bench headed by Justice A.S. Gadkari noted that several defendants in the case had been released on bail due to their prolonged detention and the unlikelihood of the trial beginning soon.
In its ruling the court stated,
“Hence on the ground of parity, the two appellants too deserve to be released on bail,”
The case originates from the Elgar Parishad event held in Pune on December 31, 2017. Investigators claim that speeches made during the event were inflammatory and contributed to caste-based violence in Bhima Koregaon the following day.
Initially investigated by Pune Police, the case was later taken over by the NIA, which applied provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against the accused. The NIA alleges that the conclave was supported by banned Maoist organizations and that the accused were part of a broader conspiracy aimed at undermining the government.
Gorkhe and Gaichor were arrested in September 2020 and have been in judicial custody at Taloja prison for over three years, facing allegations of being active members of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist).
The High Court ordered them to provide a bail bond of Rs 1 lakh each and mandated that they report to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) office once a month as a condition of their bail.
With this ruling, all but one accused Surendra Gadling have now been granted bail in this case. Father Stan Swamy, another accused and well-known tribal rights activist, died in judicial custody in July 2021 while awaiting trial.
Others who have been granted bail include poet Varavara Rao, lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj, academic Anand Teltumbde, and activists Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Ferreira, Shoma Sen, Gautam Navlakha, Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson, Jyoti Jagtao, and Mahesh Raut.
Despite the grave charges, the courts have consistently highlighted the slow pace of the trial and extended pre-trial detentions while granting bail, raising alarms over procedural delays in cases handled under strict anti-terrorism laws.