Elgar Parishad case: NIA objects to shifting Navlakha to Alibag under house arrest
Navlakha had approached the top court last year for permission to be kept in house arrest on account of multiple health ailments and advanced age
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday opposed a plea by activist Gautam Navlakha, who is under house arrest in a public library in Mumbai in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, that he be shifted to a house in Alibag area of Maharashtra’s Raigad citing security concerns.
A bench of Justices KM Joseph and BV Nagarathna was told by additional solicitor general SV Raju, appearing for the NIA and the Maharashtra government, that shifting Navlakha is not feasible as the house in Alibag is 110 kilometres from the trial court and it takes nearly three-and-a-half-hours to reach.
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“The second problem is that the house in Alibag area is located in a residential area where it is very difficult to cordon off. Hence, it is not feasible keeping in mind the security aspect in mind,” he said.Raju also said the petitioner had earlier sought being moved from a jail to house arrest on health grounds and saying they were not getting good health facilities, but the area they now seek to be shifted to does not have any super speciality hospital.
Navlakha had approached the top court last year for permission to be kept in house arrest on account of multiple health ailments and advanced age.
On November 10, the top court had put certain conditions while granting permission to remain under house arrest. These conditions required him not to use mobile phone, internet or any gadgets among a host of other restrictions.
He was asked to pay the security cost of having round-the-clock security personnel from Maharashtra police at the property.
Senior advocate Nithya Ramakrishnan who appeared for Navlakha told the Court that as per an earlier order in April, a sum of ₹8 lakh was kept ready for payment to the Maharashtra police.
The ASG said, “That is not the only issue. We have inspected the place at Alibaug, it is facing the sea and it is not safe from security point of view.”
The NIA had claimed that Navlakha had still not paid more than ₹65 lakh towards cost of maintaining his security.
The bench asked Raju to place all the facts on the affidavit.
Ramakrishnan told the court to have the next hearing in August to facilitate her client finding other suitable homes for stay in Mumbai.
Navlakha was arrested in April 2020 for his alleged role in instigating the Bhima Koregaon violence in January 2018.
The NIA accused him of having links with banned Maoist organisation – Communist Party of India (Maoist) and Pakistan’s ISI.
