Navlakha gets interim protection from arrest till Dec 2

The Bombay High Court on Friday granted civil rights activist Gautam Navlakha interim protection from arrest till December 2 in the Koregaon Bhima violence case.

Justice P D Naik posted Navlakha's anticipatory bail plea for hearing on December 2 along with a similar plea filed by co-accused Anand Teltumbde.

The Pune police had booked Navlakha, Teltumbde and several other activists for their alleged involvement in the violence that took place in Koregaon Bhima village in the district on January 1 last year.

It is alleged that the activists are active members of the banned organisation CPI (Maoist).

"The present applicant (Navlakha) is granted interim protection from arrest till December 2," Justice Naik said.

The bench took note of the fact that Navlakha was granted similar protection from arrest since August 2018 when he approached the high court seeking to quash the case.

His counsel Yug Chaudhary on Friday informed Justice Naik that the activist has been given protection from arrest since last year and it would not hamper the probe if the same was extended till his anticipatory bail plea is heard by it.

In September, a division bench of the high court had refused to quash the case, following which Navlakha had approached the Supreme Court.

The apex court, while extending the interim protection till November 12, had directed Navlakha to approach the concerned sessions court in Pune seeking pre-arrest bail.

On November 12, the Pune sessions court had rejected Navlakha's anticipatory bail plea and also refused to extend the protection granted to him by the apex court.

Navlakha had then moved the high court on November 13.