Koregaon-Bhima: HC reserves order on Gautam Navlakha

The Bombay High Court on Friday reserved its order on the application of prominent activist Gautam Navlakha seeking quashing of FIR against him in the Elgar Parishad-Koregaon Bhima case.

A division bench comprising justice Ranjit More and justice Bharti Dangre are hearing the application filed by Navlakha, who is associated with People's Union for Democratic Rights, Delhi.

It may be recalled, on Wednesday, the Pune police have told the court that Navlakha was in touch with Kashmiri separatists and those linked to terror group Hizbul Mujahedeen.

Counsel Aruna Pai, who is representing the police, has urged the court to vacate the stay on Navlakha's arrest.

Navlakha's counsel Yug Chaudhry has denied the charges in the court.

The bench said, "Can you say only someone who drops a bomb is a terrorist... there are abetters too... some documents show innocence, others needed investigations... we will apply our mind and pass an order."

Nine human rights activists and civil rights defenders who are arrested in the case are Surendra Gadling, Shoma Sen, Rona Wilson, Mahesh Raut and Sudhir Dhawale (arrested in the first round) and P Varavara Rao, Sudha Bharadwaj, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira (arrested in the second round). They have been charge-sheeted in the case.

They were arrested for alleged Maoist-links and conspiracy to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi and overthrow an elected government.