Mumbai

The Bombay High Court on Friday granted bail to activists Sagar Gorkhe and Ramesh Gaichor, who are accused in the Elgar Parishad case linked to alleged Maoist activities, citing parity with other accused who have already received similar relief.

The two activists were arrested in September 2020 and have been lodged at Taloja Central Jail since then. They are accused of being active members of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist).

A division bench headed by Justice A S Gadkari observed that several co-accused in the case have been granted bail, primarily due to prolonged incarceration and the unlikelihood of the trial commencing in the near future.

“In view of the fact that other accused have been granted bail on similar grounds, the present appellants are also entitled to bail on the ground of parity,” the court said in its order.

The bench directed Gorkhe and Gaichor to furnish a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh each and comply with conditions, including reporting to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) office once every month.

The case pertains to alleged provocative speeches delivered at the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017, which, according to investigators, led to violence at Koregaon-Bhima on the outskirts of Pune the following day.

Initially investigated by the Pune police, the case was later transferred to the NIA, which alleged that Maoist groups had provided backing to the conclave and that several accused were involved in furthering the organisation’s agenda.

At least 16 individuals, including lawyers, activists, writers and academics, were booked in the case under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and other sections of the Indian Penal Code.

With the latest order, all accused except Surendra Gadling have now been granted bail. Among those previously released are Varavara Rao, Sudha Bharadwaj, Anand Teltumbde, Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Ferreira, Shoma Sen, Gautam Navlakha, Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson, Jyoti Jagtao and Mahesh Raut.

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The case had drawn nationwide attention following the death of Father Stan Swamy, an 84-year-old Jesuit priest and tribal rights activist, who passed away in custody in July 2021 while awaiting trial.