Elgar Parishad Case: Special NIA Court Rejects Activist Gautam Navlakha’s Plea To Permanently Shift To Delhi From Mumbai

Mumbai: The special NIA court on Thursday rejected the plea of activist Gautam Navlakha, an accused in the Elghar Parishad case, to permanently shift to Delhi from Mumbai as it is difficult for him to cope with the increasing finances.

Navlakha was granted bail by the Bombay High Court, in December 2023, on the condition that he should not leave Mumbai without the prior permission from the special court.

The 72-year-old has been staying on rent in Bandra along with his partner but he now claims that it is now becoming financially unfeasible to continue to stay in Mumbai. He was struggling to arrange funds for basic necessities such as food and house rent in the city, he said.

“Traveling beyond the jurisdiction of the court is one thing. Residing permanently beyond the jurisdiction of the court, is altogether a different thing,” the court said, adding that the high court has not granted discretion to the special court to allow Navlakha to permanently move out of the state to Delhi. Hence the court said, this 'unnecessary' application deserves to be rejected.