Navlakha had filed an application stating that the investigating agency failed in filing chargesheet in stipulated period of time. The court gave extension of 90 days to the NIA
Mumbai: On Saturday the Special court rejected the bail application of Gautam Navlakha the civil right activist. The court granted a further 90 day extension to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to file the chargesheet.
Navlakha along with other activists has been alleged as an accused of having links with the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) and also for his alleged involvement in the Elgar Parishad gathering that happened on December 31, 2017, which allegedly triggered caste-based violence at Bhima-Koregaon in Pune, the next day.
Navlakha had filed a bail application as the NIA failed to file a chargesheet within 90 days. However on July 12, the special NIA court gave an extension of 90 days to the agency to submit chargesheet and the court rejected the bail of Gautam Navlakha.Â
Advocate Ragini Ahuja appearing for Navlakha said, “The NIA had applied for 90 days extension to file charge sheet (and we had applied for bail. The court allowed extension to the agency to file chargesheet and our bail was rejected.”
The activist has been booked under various sections of the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The act allows the agency to have custody of the accused for a period of 30 days and 180 days to file chargesheet with prior permission by the court and various sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC).
He was first arrested by the Pune police on August 28, 2018 but Delhi High Court had later quashed his arrest. The police had leveled charges on the basis of letters recovered from the computer of one of the alleged accused arrested in the Elgar Parishad case.
