‘Trial could take years’: SC grants bail to Gautam Navlakha

New Delhi, May 14

Having spent over four years in judicial custody, Bhima Koregaon violence case accused Gautam Navlakha will be out on bail as the Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to extend the stay on the Bombay High Court’s order granting him bail.

“We are inclined not to extend the stay as the high court order is detailed in granting bail. Trial would take years and years and years for completion. Without going at length into contentions, we will not extend the stay,” a Bench of Justice MM Sundresh and Justice SVN Bhatti said.

The Bench took note of the fact that Navlakha has been in jail for more than four years and charges were yet to be framed in the case.

It also ordered Navlakha to shell out Rs 20 lakh towards his house arrest expenses at the earliest.

The Bombay High Court had on December 19 last year granted bail to Navlakha, but stayed its order for three weeks to enable the NIA to file an appeal against it in the Supreme Court. The stay had been extended since then by the top court.

While granting bail to Navlakha, the high court had said there was no material to infer that the accused committed a terrorist act as contemplated under Section 15 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

Arrested in April 2020 by the NIA, Navlakha (71) was allowed by the Supreme Court to be placed under house arrest in Navi Mumbai on November 10, 2022, on account of his advanced age.