Anand Teltumbde, a Dalit rights activist and academic, was granted bail by the Bombay High Court on Tuesday after being charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the Bhima Koregaon case. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a petition with the Supreme Court to challenge this decision.
The matter will be heard on November 25 by a bench consisting of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justices Hima Kohli, and JB Pardiwala. On Thursday, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta brought up the subject during his appearance on behalf of the NIA.
“The petition is by NIA. There is a bail order. The order is stayed for a week, that is on Friday,” SG told the bench while mentioning.
The bench then declared that it would be heard on Friday.
Attorney Aparna Bhat, who is representing Teltumbde on a caveat, has been served with a copy of the petition, per CJI Chandrachud’s request to the Solicitor General.
On November 18, the High Court released 73-year-old Teltumbde on bail; however, the court postponed the decision for a week so that the prosecuting agency, the NIA, could file a petition with the Supreme Court.
The prosecution’s case is that during the gathering, which was allegedly supported by the outlawed terrorist group Communist Party of India (Maoist), inflammatory and provocative speeches were made, sparking violence in the Koregaon Bhima village near Pune in 2018.
On April 14, 2020, Teltumbde turned himself in at the NIA headquarters in Mumbai after the Supreme Court refused to grant him any reprieve. He is now being held at Taloja Central Prison.
For his alleged ties to the outlawed CPI, Teltumbde, an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) graduate who taught at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), was arrested in the case.
He is accused of violating several UAPA and Indian Penal Code provisions.
