NIA court rejects Anand Teltumbde's bail in Elgar Parishad case; sent to judicial custody

After surrendering to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the Bhima Koregaon- Elgar Parishad case, an NIA court on Saturday, has rejected activist Anand Teltumbde's interim bail plea. He has been sent to judicial custody till May 8. Activists Gautam Navlakha and Anand Teltumbde surrendered to NIA authorities on April 14 after the Supreme Court granted them a week's time to surrender.

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Anand Teltumbde's bail plea rejected

Activist and academician Anand Teltumbde surrenders before NIA in Elgar Parishad case

Teltumbde pens open letter

On April 13, Teltumbde wrote an open letter to the people of the country before surrendering to the NIA. Explaining the sequence of events, he claimed that he was implicated on the basis of 5 letters among the 13 that the police reportedly recovered from the house of two arrestees in the case. He stressed that no incriminating material had been recovered from him. Maintaining that he had never supported violence or any subversive movement in any of his writings or interviews, Teltumbde opined that "selfless servers of people" had become traitors in the country. 

Bhima Koregaon: SC asks activists to surrender to jail authorities in a week

Centre takes over Bhima-Koregaon case

A day after Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar held a review meeting with Pune police on the Bhima-Koregaon case, the NIA took over the probe on January 24, from the Maharashtra police. Within 10 days - on February 3, NIA registered an FIR in the Elgar Parishad case charging 11 people under the provisions of the anti-terror law UAPA and the IPC, according to PTI. All accused are currently in jail.

NIA charges 11 activists in Bhima-Koregaon case under UAPA, 10 days after case's transfer

What is the Elgar Parishad case?

Pune police booked activists Sudha Bharadwaj, Arun Ferreira, and Vernon Gonsalves, Surendra Gadling, Sudhir Dhawale and P Varavara Rao for allegedly inciting the Bhima Koregoan violence through their speech at the Elgar Parishad meeting on December 31, 2017, under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). On the following day - January 1, 2018, violence had erupted at Koregaon-Bhima village in Pune district where supporters had gathered in the village to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Bhima Koregaon. The ensuing violence had resulted in the death of one person and several others had been injured - 152 have been arrested.

The above-mentioned activists have been charged with  'conspiracy to assassinate PM Narendra Modi', 'overthrow the government', 'waging war against the Government of India'. They are also being probed for links with the banned CPI (Maoists) party.  If convicted under 'waging war against India', all activists face the death sentence or imprisonment for life.