MUMBAI:
Bombay high court
on Friday granted interim protection till December 2 to human rights activist
Gautam Navlakha
(65), accused last year in the
Elgar Parishad case
for alleged Maoist links.
Navlakha had approached the high court after special trial Judge S R Navandar in Pune had denied his pre-arrest bail application. He has, through counsel Yug Chaudhary, challenged the Pune court order, which observed that “prima facie, it can be noted that the organisation of
Elgar Parishad
in Pune was part of a larger conspiracy of the banned 23 organisations and the Bhima Koregaon episode is one of the instances of execution of the said conspiracy”.
Chaudhary said another accused, Anand Teltumde, has been on interim anticipatory bail from February and since his hearing is fixed for December 2, Navlakha’s for pre-arrest bail could be heard at the same time with similar relief till then.
Additional public prosecutor Aruna Pai opposed grant of any relief to Navalakha.
Justice P D Naik, though, in view of previous interim protection granted to Navlakha by the Supreme Court and the high court, protected him from arrest until further hearing on December 2.
“Navlakha’s plea being identical to that of Teltumbde under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, both pleas should be heard together. The prosecution’s desperation to get hands on my client did not affect the Supreme Court. The high court should take a cue from the apex court order of October 15 and grant my client protection from arrest,” Chaudhary argued. Pai opposed it and said his plea be heard separately. “There is a distinction between the two applications since the material against both the accused is different.”
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