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Bhima Koregaon case: Pune Sessions Court rejects anticipatory bail plea of Gautam Navlakha

Navlakha had on November 5 filed the request for pre-arrest bail.

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The Pune Sessions Court on Tuesday rejected the anticipatory bail application of civil rights activist Gautam Navlakha in relation to the Bhima Koregaon case. The court has also rejected the 3-day-extension from arrest sought by him.

Navlakha had on November 5 filed the request for pre-arrest bail. The arguments forwarded by the activist was heard by the Additional Sessions Judge at Pune, SR Navandar, on November 7, and the judgement was reserved for November 12, i.e. today.

The basis for Navlakha behind requesting the bail was his claim that despite it being over a year since the FIR against him was filed, the Maharashtra Police has not been able to produce any evidence regarding him having links with the banned Naxal outfit — Communist Party of India (Maoist). Not just that, the activist claimed that he had played an active part in assisting the State in rescuing officials abducted by Maoists, and also condemning left-wing violence.

Appearing for Navlakha, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, too, had argued before the Supreme Court earlier that his client being a journalist and a vocal supporter of human rights is made to suffer for keeping a view different from that of the Centre. Singhvi said that his client has condemned violence in any form, be it by Naxals or by the security forces and has also served the government by acting as a channel of communication for dialogue with the Naxals. This made many Naxals suspect him to be a government agent.

The Supreme Court had earlier declined Gautam Navlakha's plea for quashing the FIR against him on the basis that his alleged link with a banned Maoist group was too "serious" a charge to be ignored by the Court as any decision to free him from this taint can be taken only after examining the evidence. The Supreme Court, however, had accepted his plea to approach an appropriate forum for requesting a pre-arrest bail, following which the anticipatory bail application was filed by the activist at the special court. The Pune Sessions Court today rejected that application.

Navlakha who is a journalist and a civil liberties activist has been accused by the Maharashtra Police of having links with the banned Naxal outfit — Communist Party of India (Maoist). The FIR against him was filed on January 8, 2018, under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

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