Bhima Koregaon: Prof Anand Teltumbde Seeks Interim Bail To Visit Nonagenarian Mother Following His Brother's Death In An Encounter

A division bench led by Justice SS Shinde sought details of Teltumbde's interim application and listed the matter for hearing on Wednesday, February 16.

During the hearing the court sought to know if the Special Court had rejected the application. "We granted relief in the case of an accused from Nagpur in this case," Court said referring to the interim bail co-accused Surendra Gadling was granted for his mother's first death anniversary.

Teltumbde's counsel Senior Advocate Mihir Desai then apprised the court that Teltumbde's application was rejected only on the ground that since a regular bail application was pending before the High Court, the present plea should be made there.

NIA opposed the application as being devoid of merits and unsustainable in law. Moreover, the agency emphasized that the professor was charged with serious offences under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and his reasons for temporary bail were not of "dire necessity" to warrant bail.

Milind, an alleged Maoist leader was killed in an encounter by security personnel in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district along with 26 others, in November, 2021. He was accused of being in-charge of CPI(M)'s Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh (MMC) zone and was also wanted in the Bhima Koregaon Elgar Parishad Case.

In his application before Special NIA court, Teltumbde said that his father and youngest brother passed away a couple of years ago. And even though he lost contact with Milind sometime in the 1990's, his mother is over 90-years-old and at such a moment of bereavement in the family, he being the eldest, his presence by his mother's side and siblings would be of great moral support.

Teltumbde had said that he belongs to a reputed family and that he is married to the grand-daughter of Dr. BR Ambedkar. His other brothers are both retired Western Coalfields Ltd (WCL) employees and the eldest of his three sisters is a retired principal of a prestigious college from Nagpur.

Teltumbde was arrested by the NIA on April 14, last year, after he surrendered before the agency following Supreme Court's orders.

The National Investigation Agency has booked sixteen activists of offences under the UAPA and accused them furthering the banned CPI(Maoist) agenda to overthrow the government. The NIA claims that the Elgar Parishad event organised on December 31, 2017 by front organisations of CPIM was responsible for the violence at Bhima Koregaon on January 1, 2018.

Teltumbde faces charges under sections 121, 121A, 124A, 153A, 505(1)(b), 117, 120b r/w 34 of the IPC and sections 13,16,17,18,18-B,20,38,39 and 40 of the UAPA along with 15 other activists. Father Stan Swamy, the 16th accused to be arrested, passed away on July 5.