Mumbai: Scholar-activist Anand Teltumbde on Saturday walked out of Taloja prison in Navi Mumbai, officials said following the Supreme Court's order on Friday. "Teltumbde, 73, who spent two-and-a-half years behind bars in the case, walked out of the jail around 1.15 pm," an official said. The top court had dismissed an appeal filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) against Teltumbde in a case alleging his role in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence case.
"Teltumbde was giving lectures for Dalits mobilisation. Is that a terrorist activity?" Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud asked the Assistant Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati before dismissing the plea. Teltumbde was lodged in the Taloja jail in neighbouring Navi Mumbai since his arrest in April 2020 in the matter pertaining to the Elgar Parishad case.
The Bombay High Court had earlier on November 18 granted him bail, noting that prima facie there was no evidence to show his involvement in any terror activity. The High Court, however, stayed its bail order for a week so that the NIA, the probe agency, could approach the Supreme Court. Teltumbde is the third of the 16 accused arrested in the case to be released on bail. Poet Varavara Rao is currently out on bail on health grounds while lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj is out on regular bail.
Also read - Elgar Parishad case: SC confirms bail for Anand Teltumbde, rejects NIA plea
The Elgar Parishad case relates to alleged inflammatory speeches made at the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017, which the police claimed triggered violence the next day near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial on the outskirts of the western Maharashtra city.
The Pune police had also claimed that the conclave was organised by some persons with alleged Maoist links. A First Information Report was registered by the Pune police on January 8, 2018, under the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The NIA later took over the case.
