Noting that the Maharashtra police investigation into the Bhima Koregaon case is "getting bigger and bigger", the Supreme Court on Monday refused to quash an FIR against an accused person in the case.
A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, however, granted accused activist Anand Teltumbde protection from arrest for four weeks in order for him to apply for regular bail.
Mr. Teltumbde moved the apex court after the Bombay High Court had, on December 15, dismissed his petition for protection from arrest.
In September last year, the Supreme Court had, in a majority judgment, upheld the legality of the Maharashtra Police probe and arrest of five activists for alleged Maoist links in the aftermath of the Bhima-Koregaon violence.
Poet Vara Vara Rao, lawyer Sudha Bhardwaj, activists Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves and Gautam Navlakha were arrested by the Maharashtra Police as part of a pan-India crackdown and raids held on August 28 last year. Mr. Teltumbde's premises was also searched.
The majority opinion of the Supreme Court had held the arrests were not an attempt to silence dissenting voices in the country. It had given the go-ahead to the Maharashtra Police to pursue the case against the five activists under the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, but allowed the house arrests of the five to continue for four weeks. In October, the apex court dismissed a review petition.
The apex court has also recently reserved judgment on a petition filed by the Maharashtra government against a Bombay High Court decision refusing the State Police a 90-day extension to complete its investigation and file chargesheet against lawyer Surendra Gadling, Nagpur University professor Shoma Sen, activists Sudhir Dhawale and Mahesh Raut and Rona Wilson in connection with the Bhima-Koregaon case.
They were arrested on June 6 by the Pune Police. They were charged with various provisions of The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 and the Indian Penal Code.
