Bhima Koregaon case: Supreme Court notice to activist Navlakha on NIA’s plea

New Delhi, June 2: The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice to activist Gautam Navlakha on a plea by the National Investigation Agency against the Delhi High Court’s order questioning his transfer to a Mumbai jail. 

A bench of Justices Arun Mishra, S Abdul Nazeer and Indira Banerjee decided to consider the matter after two weeks, The Deccan Herald reported. 

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the NIA, contended that the order by the Delhi High Court was without jurisdiction. The NIA has approached the top court against the High Court’s order for production of all record of proceedings from Mumbai and Delhi courts in the matter. The high court had ticked off the agency for “inexplicable frantic hurry” as well as “unseemly haste” in taking Navlakha away from jurisdiction here after his arrest, as his interim bail was pending consideration. 

Following his arrest under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, Navlakha had last month moved the High Court for interim bail in view of public health emergency due to COVID-19. 

On March 16, the top court had declined anticipatory bail plea by activist Navlakha in the Bhima Koregaon case and told him to surrender within three weeks before the NIA. On April 8, it gave him one more week to surrender in the case of their alleged link to banned Maoist outfit, allegedly emerged after the Bhima Koregaon violence. 

An event ‘Elgar Parishad’ was held in Pune on December 31, 2017, which allegedly led to caste violence on January 1, 2018. Several prominent activists have already been arrested in the matter.

Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/national/bhima-koregaon-case-supreme-court-notice-to-activist-navlakha-on-nias-plea-844693.html