Bhima Koregaon case: SC approves activist Gautam Navlakha's house arrest
The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the Bhima Koregaon case accused Gautam Navlakha to be placed under house arrest for one month observing that there was no reason to reject his medical report. The apex court rejected the National Investigation Agency's (NIA) appeal opposing Navlakha's plea which claimed that he was "in touch with Kashmiri extremists" and Pakistan's premier intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Why does this story matter?
The police arrested 16 activists for alleged Maoist links claiming that the accused gave provocative speeches at the Elgaar Parishad event which sparked violence between Marathas and Dalits in 2018. The event, which police claimed was funded by Maoists, marked the 200th anniversary of the battle of Bhima Koregaon. Historian Romila Thapar and her associates challenged the arrests, calling it suppression of dissent.
Conditions placed for house arrest
The order was passed by the bench of Justices KM Joseph and Hrishikesh Roy. The court directed officials to conduct a mandatory evaluation of the premises where Navlakha will be kept and asked it to be implemented within 48 hours. The court asked Navlakha to deposit Rs. 2.4 lakh, which the NIA claimed as the estimated expense for posting police personnel with him.
Barred from using communication devices, internet
The conditions for his house arrest were that he wasn't allowed to use a computer, mobile phone, internet, or any other communicating device. He is permitted to use a mobile phone only for 10 minutes a day which will be provided by police personnel on duty and the call must be made in their presence. Visitors can't have mobile phones with an internet connection.
Navlakha spoke on UAPA, under which he was charged
"Anybody you want to damn, you declare that this person is a threat to national security. How do you know? Because the government feels it."
— The Caravan (@thecaravanindia) March 18, 2020
Gautam Navlakha speaks to @shaheen_ahmed1 and @shahidtantray about the dangers of the UAPA. pic.twitter.com/zxzIWNPwNZ
Previous developments in the case
In August, the SC gave the NIA court hearing the Bhima Koregaon violence case a three-month deadline to decide on the framing of charges against the accused under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for alleged Maoist links. Of the 16 accused, Telugu poet and activist Varavara Rao (82), and lawyer and activist Sudha Bharadwaj have been granted bail.
