Delhi University Professor Hany Babu, a defendant in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence case, withdrew his bail petition from the Supreme Court on Friday, citing a shift in case circumstances. The Supreme Court acknowledged this decision and granted his request.
Representing Babu, his lawyer informed the Supreme Court’s two-judge panel, led by Justice Bela M Trivedi and Justice Pankaj Mithal, of their intention to pursue bail anew in the High Court.
Previously, Babu had appealed to the Supreme Court after the Bombay High Court rejected his bail plea in September of the preceding year.
The High Court had denied Babu’s bail based on the National Investigation Agency’s assertion that he is affiliated with the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist).
In January of this year, the Supreme Court granted the NIA an additional two weeks to respond to Prof Babu’s bail application. He stands accused of instigating violence and disturbing peace among other charges.
Prof Babu, maintaining his innocence, had informed the High Court earlier that the letters presented by the NIA as evidence in the Bhima Koregaon case did not implicate him.
According to the NIA’s chargesheet, a letter discovered on Babu’s computer outlined a conspiracy against Prime Minister Modi. Babu refuted this, asserting that the letter was neither authored nor addressed to him. He contended that it made no mention of his involvement in the conspiracy.
What is the Bhima Koregaon Elgar Parishad Case?
The event by the name of “Elgar Parishad” was organised to commemorate the Battle of Bhima Koregaon of 1818, wherein the Peshwas fought against the East India Company. In the war, an army of Dalit soldiers had fought under the British forces against the Peshwa, the reason for the celebration by Dalits. In 2018, it was the 200th anniversary of the war and extreme violence erupted over the matter.
Soon after, the case was transferred to the NIA. The Pune police had arrested a total of nine supposed “intellectuals” such as Sudha Bharadwaj, Rona Wilson, Surendra Gadling, Mahesh Raut, Shoma Sen, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, and Varavara Rao for inciteful speeches.
