NIA opposes Jyoti Jagtap's bail plea

Mumbai: Activist Jyoti Jagtap, arrested in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, has moved the Bombay High Court for bail claiming false implication but the NIA opposed her plea saying she was spreading activities of the banned CPI (Maoist) in urban areas.

The NIA in its affidavit stated that Jagtap was an active member of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) who was spreading activities of the banned "terror group" in urban areas and had undergone training for using weapons and explosives.

Jagtap's plea came up for hearing before a division bench headed by Justice Ajey Gadkari on Tuesday. The high court posted the matter for hearing after two weeks.

While Jagtap, a singer-cum-artist, claimed she was innocent and the NIA has failed to establish any prima facie evidence against her, the agency said Jagtap had made efforts to mobilise Dalits at the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017, to protest against the government and to create hatred against the government.

The NIA further alleged that Jagtap underwent training for using weapons and explosives in 2011. This claim was refuted by Jagtap in her petition.

According to investigators, provocative speeches were allegedly made at the conclave triggering violence around Koregaon Bhima in the Pune district on January 1, 2018. The Pune Police had claimed the conclave was backed by Maoists.

Jagtap (34) had filed an appeal in the HC challenging a February 2022 order of the special court refusing to grant her bail.

She is accused of singing and raising provocative slogans at the Elgar Parishad conclave along with other members of the Kabir Kala Manch group.