Bhima Koregaon: SC grants bail to Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves
The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday granted bail to the members of Elgar Parishad, Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves, according to the news outlet NDTV. The bail application of the two accused, who were apprehended under stringent anti-terror Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) charges in the Bhima Koregaon violence case, was denied in October 2019 by the Bombay High Court.
Bail granted after considering their 5 years of incarceration
The court granted them bail considering the fact that they had been incarcerated for nearly five years. It stated that even though the allegations against the defendants are grave, that cannot be the sole reason to deny bail. The appellants' counsels, senior advocates Rebecca John and R Basant, also contended that the National Investigation Agency (NIA)'s evidence used to implicate them was grossly insufficient.
Court lays conditions for bail
However, it is worth noting that the duo was granted bail under several conditions. The accused cannot leave Maharashtra without obtaining the trial court's approval and will need to surrender their passports to the NIA. Their cell phones must be charged 24 hours a day, and their whereabouts must be relayed to an NIA officer for live tracking, the court said.
Both accused arrested in August 2018: Know more
Both Arun and Vernon were apprehended in August 2018 on charges of inciting violence and having links to the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist). Since then, both of the accused have been locked up in the Taloja jail in Mumbai. As per the Free Press Journal, Friday's judgment was delivered by a bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia JJ and Aniruddha Bose.
Know about Bhima Koregaon violence
Per an FIR filed at the Vishrambaug Police Station after the event, provocative speeches were delivered at the Elgar Parishad event, sparking violence later in Pune's Koregaon-Bhima village. As many as five individuals with alleged close Maoist ties were apprehended in June 2018 from Delhi, Mumbai, and Nagpur. In total, 15 people, including Arun and Vernon, were arrested in connection with the event.
Details on Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry
Earlier in January, the Maharashtra government granted another extension to the Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry. Constituted in February 2018 by the state, the commission aims to probe the cause of the violence. The commission is headed by retired HC Judge Justice J N Patel, with former Chief Secretary Sumit Mallick serving as the second member.
