Elgar Parishad case: SC grants bail to activist Gautam Navlakha
Four years after his arrest, the Supreme Court on Tuesday granted bail to activist Gautam Navlakha in the 2018 Elgar Parishad case. The apex court lifted the stay on the Bombay High Court order granting bail to the activist. A bench of Justices MM Sundresh and SVN Bhatti refrained from extending the stay as the HC order was detailed and also because the trial would take years to complete.
Why does this story matter?
Navlakha has been in jail since his arrest on April 14, 2018, and was placed under house arrest in Navi Mumbai following an SC order in November 2022. The Bombay HC granted bail to Navlakha on December 19, 2022, but stayed its order for three weeks after the National Investigation Agency sought time to file an appeal in the apex court. On January 5, the SC extended the stay imposed by the HC on its order granting bail to Navlakha.
Elgar Parishad case
The case is related to alleged inflammatory speeches made at the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017. Police claim these speeches triggered violence near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial on the outskirts of Pune city.
Navlakha directed to pay security expenses
In addition to granting bail, the bench also directed Navlakha to pay ₹20 lakh toward expenses for security during his house arrest. The bench said, "Trial would take years and years and years for completion. Without going at length into contentions, we will not extend the stay." "A sum of ₹20 lakh to be paid to the opposite party as earliest," the bench added.
