NIA court refuses bail to Gautam Navlakha

Mumbai: A special NIA court here on Monday rejected the bail plea of human rights activist Gautam Navlakha, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case.

Navlakha, arrested on August 28, 2018, moved the court for bail more than 6 months ago and in his plea has also cited health issues while seeking relief. He was initially kept under house arrest, but was later sent to judicial

custody and lodged at the Taloja prison in neighbouring Navi Mumbai.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is probing the case, had earlier vehemently opposed the human rights activist's plea for bail and described him as a member of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist).

Special NIA court Judge Rajesh J Katariya, who previously heard prosecution and defence arguments over the matter, on Monday rejected Navlakha's bail plea.

Details of the order were not yet available.

The case relates to alleged inflammatory speeches delivered at the 'Elgar Parishad' conclave, held at Shaniwarwada in Pune on December 31, 2017, which police claimed triggered violence the next day near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial located on the outskirts of the western Maharashtra city, located around 200km from Mumbai.

The Pune police, which probed the case initially, had claimed the conclave was backed by Maoists. The NIA later took over the probe into the case, in which more than a dozen activists and academicians were named as accused.

Navlakha and several other activists were charged under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the IPC.