Bombay High Court Relocates Gautam Navlakha Amid Elgar Parishad Case

The Bombay High Court has permitted human rights activist Gautam Navlakha to relocate to his Delhi home while facing charges in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case. He must appear for trial in Mumbai, mark his presence weekly at a Delhi police station, and surrender his passport.

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday granted human rights activist Gautam Navlakha permission to move to his residence in Delhi but stipulated that he must attend trial hearings in Mumbai as necessary. Accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, Navlakha is required to mark his presence at a Delhi police station every Saturday.

A panel of Justices Bharati Dangre and Shyam Chandak stated that Navlakha must also surrender his passport and cannot leave Delhi without prior approval from the special court. His lawyer, Yug Chaudhary, requested that Navlakha's check-ins at the police station be reduced to monthly; however, the bench denied the plea.

Initially accused in 2018 after a violent event in Pune, Navlakha and others were said to further the cause of the banned CPI (Maoist). Although out on bail, he cannot leave Mumbai without the trial court's permission and sought a relocation ruling as his trial faced delays and living in Mumbai became untenable.

(With inputs from agencies.)