Bhima Koregaon case: Bombay HC grants bail to activist Anand Teltumbde

The Bombay High Court on Friday granted bail to former IIT professor and Dalit scholar-activist Anand Teltumbde in the Bhima Koregaon-Elgar Parishad-Maoist link case. Teltumbde had approached the HC last year against the rejection of his bail plea by a special NIA court.

The high court, however, stayed its order for a week so that the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the prosecuting agency, can approach the Supreme Court.

This means that Teltumbde will not be able to walk out of jail till then.

A division bench of Justices A S Gadkari and M N Jadhav allowed the bail plea filed by 73-year-old Teltumbde, who has been in jail since his arrest in the case in April 2020.

The court granted him bail on a surety of Rs one lakh.

The NIA sought the court to stay its order for one week so that it can appeal in Supreme Court.

The bench accepted this and stayed its order for a week.

Teltumbde, who is presently lodged at the Taloja prison in Navi Mumbai, had moved the high court last year after a special court refused to grant him bail.

In his plea, Teltumbde had claimed that he was never present at the December 31, 2017 Elgar Parishad event held in Pune nor made any provocative speeches.

The prosecution's case is that provocative and inflammatory speeches were made at the event that was allegedly backed by banned terror outfit CPI (Maoist), which later led to violence at Koregaon Bhima village near Pune.

Teltumbde is the third accused in the case to be granted bail.

Poet Varavara Rao is out on a medical bail and lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj is out on regular bail.

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 city's outskirts.

One person was killed and several others were injured in the violence. The case, in which over a dozen activists and academicians have been named accused, was initially probed by the Pune police before it was taken over by the NIA.

The Bombay High Court on Friday granted bail to former IIT professor and Dalit scholar-activist Anand Teltumbde in the Bhima Koregaon-Elgar Parishad-Maoist link case. Teltumbde had approached the HC last year against the rejection of his bail plea by a special NIA court. The high court, however, stayed its order for a week so that the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the prosecuting agency, can approach the Supreme Court. This means that Teltumbde will not be able to walk out of jail till then. A division bench of Justices A S Gadkari and M N Jadhav allowed the bail plea filed by 73-year-old Teltumbde, who has been in jail since his arrest in the case in April 2020. The court granted him bail on a surety of Rs one lakh. The NIA sought the court to stay its order for one week so that it can appeal in Supreme Court. The bench accepted this and stayed its order for a week. ALSO READ | Four days after SC order, activist Navlakha yet to be placed under house arrest Teltumbde, who is presently lodged at the Taloja prison in Navi Mumbai, had moved the high court last year after a special court refused to grant him bail. In his plea, Teltumbde had claimed that he was never present at the December 31, 2017 Elgar Parishad event held in Pune nor made any provocative speeches. The prosecution's case is that provocative and inflammatory speeches were made at the event that was allegedly backed by banned terror outfit CPI (Maoist), which later led to violence at Koregaon Bhima village near Pune. Teltumbde is the third accused in the case to be granted bail. Poet Varavara Rao is out on a medical bail and lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj is out on regular bail. 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 city's outskirts. One person was killed and several others were injured in the violence. The case, in which over a dozen activists and academicians have been named accused, was initially probed by the Pune police before it was taken over by the NIA.