NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday said that the bail plea of activist Jyoti Jagtap, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, would be heard together with a separate pending petition filed by the NIA challenging the bail granted to one of the co-accused.
A two-judge bench of the apex court, led by Justice M.M. Sundresh and Justice Aravind Kumar, while refusing to grant any immediate relief to Jagtap, also adjourned the hearing on her main bail plea to a later date.
Jagtap, who is in jail for her alleged involvement in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, had approached the Supreme Court challenging the October 17, 2022, order of the High Court that dismissed her bail plea.
In rejecting her bail plea, the High Court noted that the National Investigation Agency's (NIA) case against her was "prima facie true" and that she was part of a "larger criminal conspiracy" orchestrated by the banned CPI (Maoist) outfit, with her involvement in the case not being ruled out.
Furthermore, the High Court found that Jagtap was an active member of the Kabir Kala Manch (KKM) group, which, during its stage performance at the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017, made "aggressive and highly provocative slogans."
Another accused, Shoma Sen, has been an undertrial prisoner since June 6, 2018, and is lodged at Byculla jail in Mumbai in the same case.
Jagtap, along with 14 other activists and academics, is charged by the NIA under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for their alleged involvement in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon–Elgar Parishad Maoist links and criminal conspiracy case.