TELTUMBDE GETS BAIL; HC SAYS LACK OF PROOF AGAINST HIM

MUMBAI: “We are of the primafacie opinion that on the basis of material placed before us by NIA, it cannot be concluded that Appellant has indulged into a terrorist act,” the Bombay high court (HC) said on Friday while granting bail to Elgar Parishad case accused Anand Teltumbde.

The 56-page order delivered by the division bench of justice AS Gadkari and justice Milind Jadhav also added, “The material placed on record prima-facie does not inspire confidence to bring the Appellant’s act as alleged for the punishment prescribed under Sections 16, 18 and 20 of the UAP Act..”

Dalit activist and scholar Teltumbde approached the HC after the special NIA court rejected his bail application in July 2021, 15 months after he surrendered based on the directions of the Supreme Court (SC). Teltumbde had been lodged at Taloja jail along with the other accused in the case.

While arguing for Teltumbde, senior advocate Mihir Desai had submitted that the 73-year-old was known for his independent thoughts and has authored 26 books and hence was invited to attend many conferences across the world. Desai had informed the bench that Teltumbde was not connected to the Elgar Parishad event in December 2017 and had criticised the event, for which he was criticised. However, after the Bhima Koregaon incident, in the course of the investigation, the Pune police and later the NIA incriminated him. Desai added that he was named as an accused claiming that he was a member of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) just because he was the brother of another accused Milind Teltumbde.

Desai further stated that the allegations that Teltumbde’s name had surfaced from the evidence recovered from other accused were also not corroborated, hence as the trial would take a long time and he should be granted bail.

HT ARCHIVES Anand Teltumbde