New Delhi: The Supreme Court is set to hear the high-profile Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case on Monday, drawing significant attention. The case revolves around activist Gautam Navlakha, currently under house arrest, who has filed a plea requesting a relocation from a public library in Mumbai to an alternative location. Justices K M Joseph and BV Nagarathna had previously instructed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to submit its response within two weeks concerning Navlakha’s petition, as the library space needs to be vacated.
The matter stems from alleged inflammatory remarks made during the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017. According to the police, these comments led to violence the following day near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial on the outskirts of the city. Additionally, the Supreme Court has directed Navlakha to deposit an additional ₹8 lakh to cover expenses for providing police personnel for his security. In its initial order on November 10 of the previous year, the Supreme Court had instructed Navlakha to deposit ₹2.4 lakh to cover the expenses incurred by the state in arranging for police personnel to facilitate his house arrest.
The decision to pay the amount comes after Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju informed the court that a total bill of ₹66 lakh was still outstanding. On November 10, 2022, the Supreme Court granted Navlakha, who was then detained at Navi Mumbai’s Taloja prison in connection with the case, permission to be placed under house arrest due to his deteriorating health condition.
Since the issuance of the November 10, 2022 order, the Supreme Court has extended Navlakha’s house arrest on multiple occasions. On February 17, Navlakha withdrew his application from the Supreme Court, in which he had sought to be transferred from Mumbai to Delhi while remaining under house arrest. Through his legal representative, he informed the court that he would search for an alternative accommodation in Mumbai.
