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Bhima Koregaon: SC refuses to quash FIR against activist Anand Teltumbde
The apex court said Teltumbde could seek regular bail from the trial court in the meantime
The Supreme Court on Monday refused to quash the Pune police’s FIR against civil rights activist Anand Teltumbde in connection with the Elgar Parishad-Koregaon Bhima violence and for his alleged Maoist links.
However, a bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and justices Ashok Bhushan and SK Kaul extended the interim protection from arrest granted to Teltumbde by the Bombay High Court by four weeks.
The apex court said Teltumbde could seek regular bail from the trial court in the meantime.
“Investigation is getting bigger and bigger. At this stage quashing of the proceedings is uncalled for,” said Chief Justice Gogoi.
The apex court also refused to interfere with the ongoing probe in the case.
This is the second time that Teltumbde’s plea has been dismissed in this regard. On December 21, the Bombay High Court had turned down his petition and granted interim protection from arrest for three weeks.
Appearing for Teltumbde, senior advocate Kapil Sibal submitted that till now, the police had not found anything against the activist. Teltumbde had approached the apex court against the December 21, 2018, Bombay High Court order dismissing his plea to quash the FIR.
The Elgar Parishad event at Shaniwarwada in Pune was held on December 31, 2017.
Several activists had allegedly made inflammatory speeches and provocative statements at the event, leading to the violence, the police had said. Several activists were named in an FIR lodged on January 8, 2018. On January 1 last year, violence had erupted during the 200th anniversary celebrations of Bhima-Koregaon battle, leaving one dead and several injured.
Eight more activists, including Teltumbde, were named in another FIR filed in October, 2018. Some of the activists facing a case in connection with the event are Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, Sudha Bharadwaj, P Varavara Rao and Gautam Navlakha.
According to the police, the Elgar Parishad event was funded and supported by Maoists.
