Mumbai NIA Court rejects bail plea of Bhima Koregaon accused Anand Teltumbde

The Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) Court at Mumbai on Monday refused bail to the Dalit rights activist and scholar Anand Teltumbde presently detained in Taloja Central Prison for his alleged role in the Bhima Koregaon violence of 2018.

. Teltumbde had sought bail on the grounds that the investigating agencies and NIA have failed to make out a case alleged against him in the first information report (FIR) and chargesheet and there was not enough evidence with NIA to prove the charges were true.

He stated in his application that "casteist forces were not able to digest his success and his implication in the Bhima Koregaon case was an attempt to belittle his achievements and humiliate Dalits"

.[Bhima Koregaon] Casteist forces cannot digest success of a Dalit scholar: Anand Teltumbde in his bail plea . Special Public Prosecutor Prakash Shetty, appearing for NIA, opposed the bail plea pointing out that the accused persons had been active members of the banned organization viz. CPI (Maoist) and they were responsible for incitement of violence.

. Shetty argued that Teltumbde was present at Pune when the Elgar Parishad event was arranged by the accused person through frontal organisation named Kabir Kala Manch.

His mobile GPS co-ordinates during the time of the event in 2018 purportedly pointed out that he was present near Shaniwar Wada where the programme was organised.

The complaint stated that Teltumbde’s acts and performances at the event were provocative in nature and had the effect of creating disharmony.

. He also referred to the observations made by the Bombay High Court in its orders passed in the anticipatory bail application and discharge application stating there seemed to be prima facie material to prove the charges against Teltumbde.

. Apart from the submissions, Shetty also relied upon the affidavit filed by NIA which stated that Teltumbde was deeply involved in the furtherance of the agenda of CPI (Maoist) and was in touch with his brother, Milind Teltumbde another wanted accused in the case for the same purpose.

Teltumbde was one of the conveners of Elgar Parishad as per the pamphlet printed in connection with the event, the affidavit claimed.

.[Bhima Koregaon] Anand Teltumbde was active member of banned CPI (Maoist), furthered their agenda: NIA to Special Court. Advocate Sudeep Pasbola, appearing for Teltumbde, argued that the investigating agency failed to establish evidence to prove that he is an active member of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) who allegedly delivered talks and lectures for ‘reinvention of Dalit militancy and revolutionary resurgence’ under the flag of CPI (Maoist) for the Republic Democratic Front.

He also refuted NIA’s charges that Teltumbde was a convener of the Elgar Parishad and Bhima Koregaon Shauryadin Prerna Abhiyan programme contending that they did not collect any evidence to prove this allegation.

. In response to the allegation by NIA that Teltumbde was in contact with co-accused, Harry Babu and Stan Swamy, Pasbola argued there was nothing to implicate him as the contents from the emails were picked and chosen by NIA to suit their convenience.

. After hearing the parties at length on the application, Special Judge DE Kothalikar had reserved the application for orders on July 6, 2021.

Mumbai NIA Court rejects bail plea of Bhima Koregaon accused Anand Teltumbde

Neha Joshi

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