Mumbai: The special NIA court on Friday granted interim bail to Sagar Gorkhe, an accused in the Elgar Parishad case, allowing him to appear for the first semester examination of LLB degree. He has been given relief from December 14 to January 4, during which the exams have been scheduled. Meanwhile, the court has also granted permission to another accused, Mahesh Raut, to appear for the viva voice for LLB entrance test.
During the interim bail period, Gorkhe has been asked to keep the prosecution informed about his address and contact details. The court said that he should provide his phone number to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and also ensure that his phone is switched on all the time. The judge said that during the bail period, the NIA may monitor and track the whereabouts of the accused, with the help of his contact number.
Gorkhe, a member of Kabir Kala Manch, an alleged frontal outfit of banned terrorist organisation CPI (Maoist), was arrested in September 2020. He is presently lodged at Taloja jail. After clearing the pre-entrance exams, Gorke had enrolled in the LLB degree programme at a college under the jurisdiction of the Aurangabad University.
While seeking the interim bail, he had pleaded that the condition in prison is congested and stressful. Hence, he sought relief to not only appear for the exam, but also prepare for it without any distraction.
Gorkhe, Raut and 13 other activists were booked in connection with allegedly provocative speeches that were delivered at the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017. It triggered violence at Bhima Koregaon there the next day.
