The Bombay High Court has given the green light for the release of 73-year-old Satyanarayana Rani, implicated in a 2019 landmine blast in Gadchiroli, which claimed the lives of 15 security personnel and one civilian.
Rani was granted bail in July 2022 by the high court but was unable to fulfill the conditions due to a lack of sureties. The court has now revised its previous order, allowing his release without sureties on a personal bond of 1 lakh. Bail conditions stipulate that he must report to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) office on the first Friday of each month between 10 am and 12 noon until the trial concludes.
The improvised explosive device (IED) blast for which Rani was arrested occurred on May 1, 2019, under the bridge on Purada-Kurkheda road in Gadchiroli. He was apprehended by Maharashtra police on June 11, 2019, in Hyderabad, accused of participating in a conspiracy meeting seeking retaliation for the deaths of 40 Maoists in the 2018 Kasnasur-Boriya encounter. The case was later transferred to the NIA for further investigation.
In 2022, Rani sought bail from the high court, and on July 15, 2022, the court granted him bail on a personal bond of 1 lakh, with sureties. Failing to meet these conditions, he approached the court this month seeking a modification of his bail order.
Rani’s legal representative, Yug Mohit Chaudhary, argued that his client could not provide sureties as he had no family members in Mumbai and lacked the financial means. Rani’s serious health conditions, including cerebral cavernoma, tremors, cataracts, and limb disability, were highlighted as factors necessitating his release on a personal bond.