HC Adjourns Hearing On Gautam Navlakha’s Plea Until 21 Nov

Earlier on 1 October, the Delhi High Court ordered the release of activist Gautam Navlakha.

File photo of Gautam Navlakha.

(Photo: The Quint)

The Bombay High Court on Thursday, 1 November, adjourned until 21 November the hearing on civil rights activist Gautam Navlakha’s plea seeking quashing of the FIR in the Bhima Koregaon activists’ arrest case, news agency ANI reported.

Navlakha has got interim protection from arrest until 21 November.

On 29 October, the Supreme Court had issued a notice to Navlakha on Maharashtra government’s plea which challenged the Delhi High Court order that set aside Navlakha’s transit remand and his release from house arrest.

Navlakha is one of the five activists who was held in nationwide arrests on 28 August over alleged Maoist links.

Earlier, on 1 October, the Delhi High Court had ordered Navlakha’s release. The bench of Justices Muralidhar and Vinod Goel set aside the transit remand ordered passed by the Saket Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, which would have allowed the Maharashtra police to take Navlakha to Pune and keep him in custody. Keeping him in custody would have meant that his detention, having exceeded 24 hours, was then “untenable in law.”

The Supreme Court also stayed the Bombay High Court order which had granted relief to Navlakha.

In its order on Friday, the Bombay High Court had ruled that no coercive action would be taken against Navlakha till the next date of hearing. 

(With inputs from LiveLaw, and Bar and Bench)