The Bombay High Court on Friday granted bail to activists Sagar Gorkhe and Ramesh Gaichor. They were accused in the Elgar Parishad Maoist Links case.
The court granted him bail on par with other accused getting similar relief, news agency PTI reported.
Gorkhe and Gaichor were arrested in September 2020 and are currently lodged in Taloja Prison. It was alleged that Gorkhe and Gaichor were active members of the banned CPI (Maoist) group.
A bench headed by Justice AS Gadkari noted that several other accused in the case have been granted bail on the grounds of long imprisonment and the possibility that the trial in the case may not begin in the near future.
“Therefore, on the basis of equity, the two appellants (Gorkhe and Gaichor) also deserve to be granted bail,” it said.
The duo was ordered to post bail ₹1 lakh and attend the National Investigation Agency office once a month.
At least 16 people, including prominent lawyers, activists and academics, have been booked in connection with allegedly provocative speeches made at the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on 31 December 2017.
According to police, the demonstrations sparked violence in Koregaon-Bhima, on the outskirts of Pune, the next day.
The Pune police, which initially investigated the case, claimed that the conclave was supported by the Maoists. The NIA later took over the investigation of the case.
All but one accused, Surendra Gadling, have now been released on bail in the case.
Father Stan Swamy, an 84-year-old priest and tribal rights activist, died in custody in July 2021 while awaiting trial.
Other accused in the case include Varavara Rao, Sudha Bharadwaj, Anand Teltumbde, Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Ferreira, Shoma Sen, Gautam Navlakha, Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson, Jyoti Jagtao and Mahesh Raut.
