Special Court Denies Gautam Navlakha’s Request To Stay In Delhi For 45 Days, Cites Repeat Pleas In Elgaar Parishad Case

Mumbai: A special court rejected a plea filed by activist Gautam Navlakha, arrested in the Elgaar Parishad case, to stay in Delhi for 45 days. His request cited several reasons, including spending time with his partner’s grandchildren, attending to his ailing sister and exploring work opportunities in Mumbai through his contacts in Delhi.

The special judge Chakor Baviskar, while refusing his plea said, “Accused ingeniously has found out the trick of moving such application after application with the same prayer on the same grounds to facilitate him to reside at Delhi. It is not at all expected.”

“The thing you shall not do directly, cannot do even indirectly,” the court added, mentioning that his plea to permanently shift to Delhi was recently rejected.

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. His plea to shift to Delhi was rejected by the special court in June.

However, he had moved the court to allow him to be in Delhi for 45 days. In the plea, he submitted that he wants to travel as his 86-year-old sister cannot come to Mumbai due to her health condition. He also submitted that he wants to meet his partner’s children and grandchildren who are visiting in August.

The court while rejecting his plea said, “On November 7, 2024, granted permission to the present applicant to go and reside at Delhi for two months, considering the seriousness of the grounds. It does not mean that every now and then, the applicant on the same grounds should be granted permission."