Bhima Koregaon case timeline
The case relates to alleged provocations at a conference that allegedly triggered unrest near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial in Pune
The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted bail to civil rights activist Gautam Navlakha in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence case, saying it might take several years for the trial to conclude considering the number of witnesses and other pertinent factors. Navlakha was arrested for allegedly making provocative remarks in December 2017 at an Elgar Parishad conference a day before violence near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial. A timeline of the case:
Dec 31, 2017: A coalition of non-profit bodies organises Elgar Parishad near Pune to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Bhima Koregaon between the Maratha confederacy and the British East India Company, whose forces included members of the Mahar Dalit community. In 1927, Babasaheb Ambedkar visited the memorial after which Dalit groups began commemorating the Mahar soldiers annually on January 1
Jan 1, 2018: Violence at Bhima Koregaon and other parts of Pune leaves one person dead
Jan 2, 2018: Police register first case alleging involvement of Sambhaji Bhide, a former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh worker, and his associate Milind Ekbote
Jan 8, 2018: Police register the second case based on one Tushar Damgude’s complaint alleging Maoists and Kabir Kala Manch spread hatred through provocative songs, plays, and speeches at Elgar Parishad which led to violence at Bhima-Koregaon
Apr 17, 2018: Pune Police conduct searches including at the residences of academic Rona Wilson (Delhi), Dalit rights activist Sudhir Dhavale (Mumbai), etc
May 17, 2018: Sections of the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act added to the case after police say they collected incriminating documents from the searched places
Jun 6, 2018: Pune Police arrest Wilson, Sudhir Dhawale, Surendra Gadling and Shoma Sen
Aug 28, 2018: Human rights lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj, activists Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, and Telugu poet Varavara Rao arrested
Nov 15, 2018: Police file first charge sheet
Jan 24, 2020: The case transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA)
Apr 14, 2020: Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha surrender after the Supreme Court refuses to extend their protection from arrest
Jul 28, 2020: NIA arrests Delhi University associate professor Hany Babu
Oct 8, 2020: NIA arrests tribal rights activist Stan Swamy from Ranchi
Feb 22, 2021: Bombay high court grants medical bail to Varavara Rao, 85
May 28, 2021: High court directs Swamy’s hospitalisation
Jul 5, 2021: Swamy passes away
Dec 1, 2021: High court grants default bail to Sudha Bharadwaj
Nov 10, 2022: Supreme Court allows Navlakha to be kept under house arrest
Nov 18, 2022: The high court grants bail to Anand Teltumbde
Dec 19, 2023: Navlakha gets bail from the high court
Apr 17, 2024: Shoma Sen walks out of jail, 12 days after the Supreme Court grants her bail
