Bombay High Court (File photo)
National Investigation Agency (NIA) argued that Human rights activist Gautam Navlakha who is one of the accused in the Bhima Koregaon case was a part of the rural arms naxal (Maoist) struggle because the former had arranged logistics like manpower and funds.
As per the reports, while opposing the bail plea of Navlakha, NIA counsel and Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Devang Vyas, argued before the Bombay High court “that the ‘Urban Naxal Wing’ was a complementary part of the rural arms naxal struggle because it arranged logistics like manpower and funds.”
“Urban (naxal) movement is one of the main sources as it handles cadres to arrange logistics. Urban movement is complementary to rural arms struggle. One cannot have a mass movement but it arranged logistics to give the belief as wide publicity as possible”, argued the ASG.
Further while replying to the submission made by the Navlakha’s counsel Yug Mohit Chaudhary that “a basic ingredient for invoking charges under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) is violence along with the terrorism, association or conspiracy”, ASG Vyas submitted that prima facie evidence showed there was a conspiracy within a larger conspiracy.
The ASG argued that “with regard to Navlakha, they may not have allegation of any violent act against him, but conspiracy with UAPA will be applicable against him. Prima facie investigation revealed these aspects. Navlakha conspired with other arrested and accused persons to further the ideology of the Communist Party of India (Maoist).”
Earlier Yug Mohit Chaudhary while making a case for his clients regular bail plea highlighted Navlakha’s aieling age and argued that “Discharge applications are still pending. There are 54 volumes of chargesheet with a total of 20000 pages. There are over 370 witnesses.
Let us tell you that earlier a NIA special court had rejected Navlakha’s regular bail plea after rehearing the same as directed by the High court following which Navlakha has challenged the NIA court’s order before the High court.
Charges against Gautam Navlakha
As per the NIA chargesheet, the accused Gautam Navlakha was a member of outlawed CPI Maoist and possessed incriminating documents related to it. The central investigative agency in the past had also alleged that Navlakha was actively involved in fixing appointments and meetings between cadres and underground leaders of the banned CPI Maoist.
Navlakha was also alleged to be in touch with Ghulam Nabi Fai, a suspected undercover agent of the Pakistani intelligence wing (ISI). His affiliation with the Kashmiri separatist was also under the scanner of the security agencies. The NIA had also alleged that Navlakha was part of the group who facilitated the Elgaar Parishad conclave in Shaniwar Wada of Pune following which riots broke out at Bhima Koregaon on January 01, 2018.
Navlakha has been booked under sections 120(B), 121, 121 (A), 153 (A), 124 (A), 117, 505 (1) (B) of Indian penal code and other relevant sections of the UAPA Act and was in custody since 2018 before he was granted a house arrest by the Apex court with a few conditions in November last year.
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