The Supreme Court granted interim bail to Kailash Ramchandani, alleged Naxal sympathizer linked to the 2019 Gadchiroli IED blast that killed fifteen policemen, with Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi imposing strict conditions during the bail order.
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court granted interim bail to Kailash Ramchandani, an alleged Naxal sympathizer involved in the high profile case concerning the deaths of 15 policemen in an IED blast in Gadchiroli, Maharashtra, in 2019.
The bail, subject to various conditions, was approved by a bench consisting of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi.
The court granted bail even though the National Investigation Agency (NIA) claimed that “his hands are coloured with the blood” of police personnel.
The bench noted that Ramchandani had been incarcerated since his arrest on June 29, 2019, and granted bail under certain stipulations. These include remaining in his native Gadchiroli and not leaving without prior approval from the special NIA court.
He is allowed to exit Gadchiroli solely to attend trial proceedings in Mumbai and must report weekly to the local police station.
Additionally, Ramchandani must provide his mobile number to the police and is not permitted to request any adjournments in the ongoing trial. The bench emphasized that if it is discovered that he attempts to connect with Naxalites or violates any bail conditions, the NIA can seek to revoke this interim relief.
Ramchandani had previously challenged a Bombay High Court decision that denied his bail request on March 5, 2024. He argued that he has been in jail since 2019 and highlighted that charges have yet to be framed in his case, while co-accused individuals have been granted bail.
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the NIA, opposed the bail application, asserting that Ramchandani played a significant role in the incident involving the death of 15 policemen.
She stated that the IED explosion was initiated based on his intelligence that law enforcement officials were en route to a specific location. Bhati further contended that a special court is currently hearing the case and many key witnesses remain unexamined.
The bench recognized that Ramchandani is a businessman and has been jailed since 2019. It previously admonished the Centre and Maharashtra government for failing to establish courts for cases governed by special statutes.
The court warning that delays in trial proceedings would inevitably compel courts to grant bail.
Justice Kant remarked,
“If the authority fails to establish courts with requisite infrastructure for conducting speedy trial under the NIA Act and other special statutes, the court would invariably be forced to release the accused on bail, as there is no effective mechanism to conclude the trial in a time-bound manner,”
The bench noted,
“Last opportunity is granted to the Centre and the state government to take a decision as per the observations made by the court,”
The court recalled its earlier ruling from March 17, 2025, which denied his bail request due to excessive delays in trial conclusion, stating that if the Centre and state government do not set up special courts for NIA cases, his plea for relief should be reconsidered during the next hearing