Hany Babu, a suspect in the Bhima Koregaon violence case, withdrew his bail application from the Supreme Court today(on 3rd May), citing changed circumstances.
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NEW DELHI: At the Supreme Court today(on 3rd May), Delhi University professor Hany Babu, implicated in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence case, decided to withdraw his bail application. This decision was communicated by his legal representative to a Bench comprising Justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal, who were scheduled to deliberate on the matter.
Babu’s lawyer stated-
“The bail application was being withdrawn.”
due to a change in circumstances. The counsel indicated plans to approach the High Court anew for the bail consideration. Subsequently, the Supreme Court permitted the withdrawal of the plea.
Previously, in January, the Supreme Court had sought insights from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) regarding Babu’s request for regular bail. The case against Babu stems from allegations related to the Bhima Koregaon incident and his supposed affiliations with the Communist Party of India (Maoist). He was taken into custody in July 2020, with charges including his involvement in a purported plot to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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During his earlier hearings, particularly at the Bombay High Court which denied his bail in September 2023, Babu refuted the allegations. He claimed the letters seized by the NIA, which allegedly detailed plans to assassinate the Prime Minister, were neither authored by him nor addressed to him.
Babu emphasized-
“The letter in question was neither authored nor directed to me, and it contained no reference to my involvement in any purported conspiracy.”
He also criticized the trial court’s decision to use the letter as preliminary evidence against him, contending there was “There was no evidence to support the allegation that he had delivered incriminating speeches.”
Furthermore, Babu highlighted the prolonged nature of the upcoming trial, noting that it was still to commence and faced delays due to the extensive list of over 200 witnesses and documentation exceeding 30,000 pages that the NIA intended to present.
The High Court, acknowledging the gravity of the accusations, remarked on Babu’s alleged proficiency in “Arranging meetings and constructing a code framework crucial for clandestine communication.” This observation was part of the court’s rationale for denying bail, as it underscored Babu’s potential role in “Organizing large-scale mobilization, party establishment, and urban analysis within the broader framework of the CPI (Maoist)’s objectives, deemed a terrorist group.”
Case Title:
Hany Babu vs National Investigation Agency and anr.
