Bhima Koregaon: HC grants bail to Ramesh Gaichor, Sagar Gorkhe
What's the story
The Bombay High Court has granted bail to Ramesh Gaichor and Sagar Gorkhe, who have been in custody since 2020 in connection with the Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon case. The decision was taken by a division bench of Justice Ajay Gadkari and Justice Shyam Chandak on the grounds of long incarceration, according to a report by Live Law. However, a detailed order granting them bail is still awaited.
Event involvement
Gaichor, Gorkhe's roles in Elgar Parishad event
Gaichor and Gorkhe, both members of the Kabir Kala Manch, were arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on September 7, 2020. They played key roles in organizing the Elgar Parishad event in Pune on December 31, 2017. The NIA alleged that Gaichor made inflammatory speeches at the event to incite violence and "propagate Naxal activities and Maoist ideology."
Alleged propaganda
Gorkhe's alleged role in inciting violence
The prosecution also accused Gorkhe of using his cultural "performances" to propagate Maoist ideology and incite violence. Initially, the NIA wanted both Gaichor and Gorkhe to be prosecution witnesses. However, after they refused to cooperate, the agency arrested them under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), according to the report. They were accused of being active members of a terrorist organization and conspiring to overthrow the government.
Previous bails
Other accused granted bail in Bhima Koregaon case
The Bombay High Court has previously granted bail to other accused in the case, including Rona Wilson, activist Sudhir Dhawale, and Sudha Bharadwaj. In December, a Division Bench of Justices AS Gadkari and Ranjitsinha Raja Bhonsale ordered Hany Babu's release on grounds of prolonged pre-trial incarceration. The Supreme Court has also granted bail on medical grounds to P Varavara Rao and on merits to Shoma Sen, Vernon Gonsalves, and Arun Ferreira.