Activist Gautam Navlakha's House Arrest Extended In Maoist Links Case

The Supreme Court Tuesday extended till second week of January its interim order placing social activist Gautam Navlakha, accused of having links to Maoists and Pakistan's spy agency ISI, under house arrest.

A bench of Justices K M Joseph and B V Nagarathna passed the order extending the social activist's house arrest.

The top court had on November 18 ordered that Gautam Navlakha be placed under house arrest "without fail" within 24 hours and ordered some additional security measures to be put in place at the building where the actvist will be kept under house arrest.

Alleging that Gautam Navlakha's medical report issued by the Jaslok hospital was "vitiated", the National Investigation Agency had said proper treatment was given to him whenever required and his condition was manageable within the premises of Taloja central jail.

On November 15, the top court had cleared the hurdle for the release of Gautam Navlakha from Taloja prison by waiving the requirement of a solvency certificate for availing the benefit of house arrest.

Gautam Navlakha had appealed to the supreme court against the April 26 order of the Bombay High Court dismissing his plea for house arrest over apprehensions of lack of adequate medical and other basic facilities in Taloja jail near Mumbai, where he is lodged.

The case relates to alleged inflammatory speeches made at the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017 which the police claim triggered violence the next day near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial on the outskirts of the western Maharashtra city.

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