Supreme Court rejects bail plea of anti-CAA agitator Akhil Gogoi

The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected the bail plea of Assam's anti-CAA activist Akhil Gogoi, who is facing sedition charge and is in jail for more than a year now.

Akhil is also the president of Raijor Dal, a regional party his organisation Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti launched in order to contest the ensuing Assembly elections against ruling BJP and its allies.

His lawyer had moved the apex court against the rejection of his bail application by Gauhati High Court on January 7.

Senior advocate Jaideep Gupta, appearing for the petitioner submitted that though he participated in large scale agitation against the CAA, there was no evidence that he was responsible for some instances of violence.

He said prima facie, his acts were not related to terrorism. He claimed the investigative agency linked him to some 2008 incident to invoke charges under the stringent UAPA. The counsel also submitted that he has been granted bail in respect a case for his speech.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is probing the case booked him under sedition charge and alleged in its affidavit that Akhil and his aides received arms training in a CPI (Maoists) camp. Akhil's party rejected the allegations.

Akhil is in judicial custody since he was arrested on December 14, 2019, in Jorhat after the anti-CAA agitation turned violent in Guwahati and some other parts of Assam. The case related to his arrest was subsequently handed over to the NIA.

Read: Akhil Gogoi to contest Assembly elections in Assam from inside jail if not granted bail

A bench of justice N.V Ramana, Surya Kant and Aniruddha Bose dismissed his bail plea saying they would not consider the petition at this stage given the nature of allegations. The bench, however, told Akhil's lawyer that the petitioner may approach the court once the trial begins.

Akhil has been vocal against the BJP-led government, both at the Centre and in Assam. He led the anti-CAA agitation saying that the CAA would allow two crore post-1971 Hindu migrants from Bangladesh to get Indian citizenship and thereby reduce the indigenous people in Assam into minorities.

Raijor Dal has recently stitched an alliance with Assam Jatiya Parishad, another new party which was formed out of the anti-CAA agitation. Both the parties are planning to field their common candidates against two other major alliances, one led by ruling BJP and another by Congress in the Assembly polls slated in April.

Akhil is likely to contest the elections from within judicial custody.