NIA opposes plea by Anand Teltumbde for foreign travel, says he could abscond

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday opposed the plea filed by Dalit rights activist Dr Anand Teltumbde before the Bombay High Court seeking permission to travel abroad for academic purposes..In an affidavit filed before the High Court, the NIA explicitly voiced its apprehension that Dr Teltumbde might abscond and take shelter in foreign countries to avoid the trial in the Bhima Koregaon case in which he is an accused.Dr. Teltumbde, one of the accused in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence case, moved the Bombay High Court seeking permission to travel abroad for academic engagements in April and May 2025. He has been invited by several prestigious universities including the University of Amsterdam, Leiden University and Nottingham Trent University to deliver lectures and conduct academic seminars. Teltumbde, a renowned scholar on Dr. BR Ambedkar, Dalit rights and social justice, requested the release of his passport to facilitate these international academic visits. .The NIA's objections are rooted in Dr Teltumbde’s alleged links to the banned CPI (Maoist) organization, of which he is considered an active and senior member. The agency told the High Court that granting him permission to travel abroad could facilitate his escape and undermine the trial process. "The plea for delivering alleged lectures in-person at the said foreign universities by applicant A-10, is strongly opposed by the NIA on the ground of likelihood of A-10 absconding and thereby allegedly taking shelter in the said countries to avoid the judicial process and trial of this case, as well applicant A-10 furthering the criminal and unlawful of CPI (Maoist) in India," the affidavit filed by agency said..The agency further highlighted that some of the other accused in similar cases had previously absconded and sought asylum in foreign countries, creating significant difficulties for law enforcement in securing their return to face trial. As per the affidavit,“It is further submitted that some of the wanted charge-sheeted accused of the NIA and other Central law enforcement agencies of India have absconded and sought asylum in foreign countries. Hence, there exist a legal hurdle in getting back the accused for the prosecution and trial of those cases. In the present case, the likelihood of the applicant A-10 (Teltumbde) absconding and taking asylum in said foreign countries cannot be ruled out from the fact of A-10 being an active and senior member of the CPI (Maoist), a banned organisation.".In addition to these concerns about absconding, the NIA raised several objections to the application’s maintainability. According to NIA, Dr. Teltumbde should have first sought relief from the special court before approaching the High Court. In light of these preliminary objections, a Bench of Justices AS Gadkari and Kamal Khata directed the court’s registry to verify Teltumbde's petition and place it before the appropriate bench. .Teltumbde is currently out on bail. He stands accused of being one the convenors of the Elgar Parishad event which allegedly triggered the violence in 2018. Teltumbde has consistently denied these charges and also filed a petition for discharge before the High Court.A special court had previously rejected his bail plea in July 2021, ruling that he was a member of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist). However, the Bombay High Court granted him bail in November 2022, and this decision was later upheld by the Supreme Court..Follow Bar and Bench channel on WhatsAppDownload the Bar and Bench Mobile app for instant access to the latest legal news.