[Bhima Koregaon Case] Special NIA Court rejects bail pleas of four accused

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A special court on Monday denied bail to four accused in the Bhima Koregaon violence cases of 2018 being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA)

Special NIA Judge DE Kothalikar rejected the bail applications of Hany Babu and Kabir Kala Manch members Sagar Gorkhe, Jyoti Jagtap and Ramesh Gaichor.

All have been accused of furthering ideology of CPI-Maoist. They have been charged for criminal conspiracy, waging war against the country under IPC, and under Sections 13, 16, 17, 18, 20, 38, 39 and 40 under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

According to news reports, the chargesheet against the accused revealed “systematic network of Maoists operating for the supply of arms and ammunitions, having proper nexus with the Maoist cadre and other banned organisations within and outside India” 

Gorkhe and Gaichor had sought bail on the grounds that they had been prosecuted in a similar case in 2014, in which they had secured bail from the Supreme Court. The advocate representing the two had argued that their performances in the Elgar Parishad conclave did not amount to sedition or waging war against the nation, the offences that they had been booked for.

Special Public Prosecutor Prakash Shetty had opposed their bail pleas.

On Monday, the NIA sought a production warrant for the production of wanted accused in the case Prashant Bose, who had been arrested in Jharkhand and is in a prison in the northern state.

Bose had first been shown a wanted accused by the Pune police that had investigated the case prior to the NIA taking over it. The court inquired if the 72-year-old will be in a position to travel. Prosecutor Shetty said that only after the due procedure and medical checks are done, the travel will be undertaken.

The agency also filed a report on the death of Milind Teltumbde, who was shown as wanted accusedin the case. Teltumbde had been killed in Gadchiroli in November last year in an encounter among 26 alleged Maoists.

The Enforcement Directorate on Monday approached the court for permission to record the statement of accused and activist Gautam Navlakha in another case. The plea is likely to be decided on Tuesday.

The detailed orders are yet to be made available.

(with inputs from FPJ)