NIA Court Denies Bail To Accused In Nalasopara Arms Haul Case Despite High Court Precedent

The special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court has refused to grant bail to two accused in the Nalasopara arms haul case.  Vasudev Suryavanshi and Sudhanwa Gondhalekar had sought bail after a few other accused in the case were released on bail by the Bombay High Court.

In their separate applications they had pleaded that there is no evidence against them and they played no role in the alleged conspiracy and crime. The prosecution, however, contended that the applicants are likely to cause sabotage in Mumbai and Pune.

The prosecution’s case is that the two accused, and nine others, were members of the right-wing group Sanatan Sanstha that wanted to form a ‘Hindu Rashtra’ through a secret terrorist gang in Maharashtra and adjoining states.

As per the allegation of investigating agencies, the gang collected and prepared crude bombs that were planned to be used at the Sunburn festival in Pune. Explosives were also stored at the residence of one of the accused, Vaibhav Raut, who was granted bail in 2023 after five years of incarceration.

In the case of Suryavanshi and Gondhalekar, the court said there is reasonable ground to believe that the allegations are prima facie true. It further noted that the ground of parity is not applicable to them as the charges against them have been framed and the matter is part-heard.