Supreme Court judge Chandurkar recuses from hearing Surendra Gadling bail plea in 2016 Gadchiroli arson case

New Delhi: Supreme Court judge Justice Atul S Chandurkar on Thursday recused from hearing the bail plea of advocate activist Surendra Gadling in the 2016 Gadchiroli arson case, in yet another recusal in the matter which has seen repeated changes in bench composition.

The matter came up before a bench led by Justice J K Maheshwari. Justice Chandurkar, however, opted out of the hearing, without apparently assigning any reason.

Earlier, Justice M M Sundresh had also recused from the case, following which the matter was posted before a bench led by Justice Maheshwari.

Gadling has approached the court challenging a Bombay High Court order that denied him bail in the Gadchiroli arson case. He has been in custody since June 2018 and is also an accused in the Bhima Koregaon case being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), over alleged Maoist links.

The prosecution alleged that Gadling was part of a larger Maoist conspiracy and had directed co-accused persons to set fire to more than 80 vehicles transporting iron ore from the Surjagarh mines in Etapalli tehsil of Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district. He has been booked under various provisions of the UAPA and the Indian Penal Code.