Supreme Court to Hear NIA’s Plea Challenging Sudha Bharadwaj’s Bail Today

The National Investigation Agency had sought urgent listing of its plea challenging the activist's bail.

Sudha Bharadwaj. Image used for representative purposes. 

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/@SudhaBharadwaj)

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday, 6 December, sought urgent listing of its plea before the Supreme Court wherein it has challenged activist Sudha Bhardwaj's bail. The Bhima Koregaon case-accused was granted bail by the Bombay High Court last week.

A bench comprising Justices UU Lalit, S Ravindra Bhat, and Bela Trivedi are scheduled to hear the NIA's appeal on Tuesday, 7 December.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for NIA, on Monday had urged the urgent listing of the matter. “Order will come into effect on 8 December, so I have to succeed or lose tomorrow,” he was quoted as saying in the apex court by news agency ANI.

Bail to Sudha Bhardwaj

The Bombay High Court on 1 December had accepted the bail plea filed by activist and lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj, one of the accused in the Bhima Koregaon case of 2018.

"It is declared that Sudha Bharadwaj... is entitled to be released on default bail under section 167(2) read with section 43-D(2) of UAPA," the high court's order reads.

Bharadwaj, who was arrested on 28 August 2018, was initially kept under house arrest, and has been in custody for over three years.

The high court had ordered that she is to be produced in the special NIA court on 8 December. The NIA court has been directed to release her on default bail after setting relevant bail conditions.

(With inputs from ANI)