New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the hurdle for the release of activist Gautam Navlakha from Navi Mumcard have been provided, the trial court should not insist on a ration card as an additional proof of identity for the benefit of the apex court's order to take effect.
"It is so ordered," the bench said. Noting the activist has been in custody since April 14, 2020 and prima facie there is no reason to reject his medical report, the apex court had on November 10 said Navlakha does not have any criminal background except for this case and even the Centre had appointed him as an interlocutor to hold talks with Maoists.
Putting a number of conditions, including a deposit of Rs 2.4 lakh as expenses towards providing him security, the top court had said the order to place the 70-year-old activist under house arrest for a month in Mumbai should be implemented within 48 hours.
"It is not in dispute that apart from this case, the petitioner does not have any criminal background at all. The petitioner has also the case that in the year 2011, the services of the petitioner was used by the Government of India as an interlocutor to mediate with the extremists for securing the release of security personnel kidnapped by Maoists," it had said.