Bhima Koregaon: Bombay HC extends interim protection of Gautam Navlakha, 2 others

The Bombay High Court on Thursday extended interim protection from arrest for Gautam Navalkha, Anand Teltumbde and Stan Swamy in the Bhima Koregaon violence case till December 14. The court also directed the public prosecutor to file relevant documents immediately.

A two-judge bench of the Bombay High Court, comprising Justice BP Dharmadhikari and Justice Sarang Kotwal, pulled up the public prosecutor and asked her to produce all the relevant materials before the court till December 4.

The court was hearing a petition filed by Gautam Navlakha, seeking to remove his name from the charge-sheet. Aruna Pai Kamath, additional public prosecutor, told the bench that there was sufficient evidence and reason for not quashing charges levelled against him.

The bench further directed the respondents to file a counter affidavit till December 5.

On January 1, violence erupted at an event to mark 100 years of the Bhima-Koregaon battle, leaving one dead and several injured, including 10 policemen.

The police had filed 58 cases against 162 people during a state-wide shutdown in January following clashes in Bhima-Koregaon.