The Bombay High Court on Friday granted bail to Bhima Koregaon accused and Kabir Kala Manch artistes Sagar Gorkhe and Ramesh Gaichor in connection with the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence case..A Bench of Justices AS Gadkari and SC Chandak allowed the appeals filed by Gorkhe and Gaichor against the February 2022 order of the special NIA court in Mumbai, which had rejected their bail pleas in the matter..With this, both will be released from custody in the case being probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).Gorkhe and Gaichor will have to pay bail bond of ₹1 lakh with surety each and attend the NIA Mumbai office on the first Monday of every month. A detailed order is yet to be published by the Court..The special NIA court in Mumbai had in February 2022 refused bail to Delhi University associate professor Hany Babu and Kabir Kala Manch members Gorkhe, Gaichor and Jyoti Jagtap, all arrested by NIA in 2020.The special court had accepted NIA’s case about the alleged role of the accused at the Elgar Parishad event and links to banned organisations attracted stringent UAPA provisions, and found no ground to depart from the statutory bar on bail in UAPA cases. Hence, it rejected permanent bail to them though it granted interim bail to Sagar Gorkhe to enable him to prepare for and appear in his law examinations, noting his past compliance with bail conditions.The Court allowed his temporary release from November 20 to December 16, 2025 for the same.The accused then approached the High Court which allowed Gorkhe's and Gaichor's appeals today.Hany Babu had secured bail in December last year..Sixteen persons were arrested in the Elgaar Parishad–Bhima Koregaon case, nine initially by Pune Police in 2018 and seven later by the NIA after it took over the probe.Of the 16, Jesuit priest and activist Father Stan Swamy died in custody in 2021.Most of the remaining 15 accused have secured bail or temporary bails from the Supreme Court and Bombay High Court.With today's order by Bombay High Court, only lawyer Surendra Gadling would continue to remain in jail.Charges in the case are yet to be framed and trial is yet to begin as discharge applications of the accused are being heard..Follow Bar and Bench channel on WhatsAppDownload the Bar and Bench Mobile app for instant access to the latest legal news.
