Gunaratan Sadavarte walks out of jail after 18 days

Sadavarte, who was first arrested on April 8, told mediapersons as he walked out of the jail, “It is a victory for the common Indian, who chants ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Jai Bhim’. My family, including my wife and daughter, have supported me and they are my strength.”

On April 22, the sessions court in Mumbai had granted bail to Sadavarte and 114 others, including striking MSRTC employees. However, as per Sadavarte’s lawyer, as he had not completed formalities pertaining to furnishing of personal bond and sureties, as directed by various courts in Maharashtra, he was not released then. The formalities were completed on Tuesday, prompting his release from jail.

Earlier in the day, the Bombay High Court granted anticipatory bail to Sadavarte in connection with an FIR registered against him by Pune’s Bharati Vidyapeeth police station in 2020. Sadavarte was booked for allegedly making an objectionable remark against the then MP Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje in a television show.

The court said that in the event of his arrest, Sadavarte be released on bail on furnishing a personal bond of Rs 25,000 and sureties. He should not commit a similar type of offence in future, it added. Also, Justice Vinay G Joshi asked Sadavarte to appear before the investigation officer on May 4, 5 and 6 and cooperate with the probe.

Sadavarte was booked for offences punishable under sections 153 A (promoting enmity), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration), 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the Indian Penal Code among others.

He was later taken into custody by the Satara Police in another case registered in 2020 for making an objectionable remark against MP Chhatrapati Udayanraje Bhosale and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje. He was then handed over to Kolhapur police, after a case was registered there against him for allegedly making provocative statements against the Maratha community. Later, he was released on bail.

Solapur and Akot courts have also granted Sadavarte relief. While Solapur court, which was hearing a case pertaining to hurting sentiments of Maratha community, has granted him interim protection from arrest, a court in Akot, hearing a case against the lawyer for allegedly deceiving MSRTC employees, has granted him bail.