Gautam Navlakha: Dare I hope to be freed from the burden of yet another conspiracy trial?
Pic: Gautam after his release 2018
On 16 March 2020, a Supreme Court bench comprising the judges Arun Mishra and Mukeshkumar Rasikbhai Shah rejected the anticipatory bail pleas of civil-rights activists Gautam Navlakha and Anand Teltumbde, in relation to the violence at Bhima Koregaon in January 2018. Navlakha and Teltumbde were booked by the Pune Police under the draconian Unlawaful Activities (Prevention) Act for alleged Maoist links in 2018. The Supreme Court has asked Navlakha and Teltumbde to surrender within three weeks.
Gautam Navlakha released the following statement soon after being denied anticipatory bail: