Elgar case | No allegation of Gautam Navlakha committing any act of violence, lawyer tells HC

There is no allegation against Gautam Navlakha of committing any "act of violence" in the voluminous

There is no allegation against Gautam Navlakha of committing any "act of violence" in the voluminous chargesheet filed in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, the activist's lawyer told the Bombay High Court on Monday.

While arguing for the activist's bail, the lawyer also said that there was no prospect of the trial in the case to commence in the near future.

A division bench of Justices A.S. Gadkari and P.D. Naik is hearing the arguments on the bail plea, and the same will continue on Tuesday.

Mr. Navlakha was arrested in April 2020 after he surrendered before the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and is currently under house arrest pursuant to the Supreme Court's order.

Appearing for Mr. Navlakha, advocate Yug Chaudhary said there was not a single allegation of the activist committing any act of violence, association of violence, abetment of violence, or being part of conspiracy to commit violence in the chargesheet filed by the probe agency.

Hence, no offence under chapter IV (punishment for terrorist activities) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), is made out, he argued.

“The basic ingredient of chapter IV is commission of a terror act, abetment, association or conspiracy. There is nothing against me (accused),” the lawyer submitted.