"Not a usual matter": Supreme Court after State seeks adjournment in Surendra Gadling bail plea

The Supreme Court on Wednesday took exception to the Maharashtra government seeking adjournment in the bail plea filed by lawyer and activist Surendra Gadling in connection with the 2016 Surajgarh arson case [Surendra Pundalik Gadling vs State of Maharashtra]..The State sought adjournment on the ground that some documents are yet to be filed.A Bench of Justices MM Sundresh and Aravind Kumar said that the matter is not a "usual one" and needs to be heard without delay."Matters like this we have to hear this. This is not a usual matter. We have to hear this," the Court said.Eventually, it allowed two weeks time to the State to file additional documents..The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court had in January 2023 rejected the bail plea of Gadling in the matter, leading to the instant appeal before the Supreme Court through advocate Nupur Kumar..In December 2016, around 39 vehicles engaged in transporting iron ore from Surajgarh mines in Gadchiroli, Maharashtra were allegedly set on fire by Maoists.The Gadchiroli Police then registered an FIR for offences punishable under Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 341, 342 (wrongful restraint and constraint), 435 (mischief by fire explosive), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult), 506 (criminal intimidation), 143, 147 (punishment for rioting), 148, 149 (rioting in unlawful assembly) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code, Sections 16, 18, 20 and 23 (punishment for terrorist activities) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), and certain provisions of the Arms Act.Gadling was among those implicated for the incident and he was charged with UAPA offences.Gadling is also an accused in the Bhima Koregaon case of 2018, which is being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).Gadling is presently in judicial custody at the Taloja Central Prison..The High Court order had stated that allegations that Gadling had direct membership of the banned organisation, Communist Party of India (Maoist) seemed to be prima facie true.The High Court had observed that the seriousness of the allegations far outweighed the submissions made for bail. .Senior Advocate Anand Grover along with advocate Paras Nath Singh and Rohin Bhatt appeared for Gadling..Follow Bar and Bench channel on WhatsAppDownload the Bar and Bench Mobile app for instant access to the latest legal news.