Journalist-activist Gautam Navlakha, one of the 5 rights activists arrested in connection with Koregaon-Bhima case, was freed from house arrest by Delhi High Court on Monday, October 1. The Delhi HC granted him relief, after the apex court last week gave him the liberty to approach an appropriate forum in the period of 4 weeks to seek legal help.
After a perennial struggle, journalist-activist Gautam Navlakha was freed from house arrest by Delhi High Court on Monday, October 1. Navlakha was one of the 5 rights activists, who was arrested in connection with Koregaon-Bhima case. The Delhi HC granted him relief, after the apex court last week gave him the liberty to approach an appropriate forum in the period of 4 weeks to seek legal help, which he has availed.
The development came as a blow to the Maharashtra police prosecutor, as the Delhi HC denied his request of extension of Navlakha’s house arrest by 2 more days. Last week, the Supreme Court in a majority 2:1 verdict had extended the arrest fo 5 rights activists, who are accused of Maoists links. Responding to this, the Delhi HC said the top court’s judgement was only to enable the activists to move the appropriate court.
Besides Navlakha, 4 rights activists, Varavara Rao, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves and Sudha Bharadwaj were arrested by Maharashtra police in connection with the Elgaar Parishad meeting, which took place in Pune on December 31. The police had alleged that the violence at Koregaon-Bhima village was prompted by these activists.
Last month, the Maharashtra police had also claimed there were several shreds of evidence against the activists, including, “thousands of documents and letters” that reportedly depicted the links to Maoists and their role in providing weapons and funds.
The top court on September 28 had refused to intervene with the house arrests of rights activists and had extended the arrests by 4 more weeks, refusing the activists’ petition for a probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT).
