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Supreme Court to hear non-compliance of Navlakha house arrest order tomorrow

by Trans World Features | @twfindia 17 Nov 2022, 05:08 am

New Delhi/UNI: Despite an apex court order directing Bhima Koregaon case accused Gautam Navlakha be put under house arrest, the orders have not been complied with, his lawyer said while mentioning the matter again before the Supreme Court.

In its interim order passed on November 10, a division bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice KM Joseph and also comprising Justice Hrishikesh Roy, had allowed a plea filed by Navlakha, for keeping him in house arrest in view of his "ill health", and "age", for a month.

The Supreme Court on Thursday heard Nitya Ramakrishnan, senior lawyer appearing for the social activist and veteran journalist, who pleaded with the court to monitor the non-compliance.

She mentioned that inspection of premises was supposed to be within 96 hours and not within 48 hours and the November 10 order was yet to be followed. "Please see it."

Chief Justice DY Chandrachud led the bench of the top court after hearing Ramakrishnan, said, let the matter be placed tomorrow before Justice KM Joseph.

"The NIA (National Investigation Agency) is also filing an IA (Intervention Application) seeking some directions and the matter will be placed tomorrow before a bench led by Justice KM Joseph," the CJI said.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the NIA, told the top court that the NIA is also seeking some directions and requested for a listing on Monday.

"The accused (Gautam Navlakha) is a Maoist and we objected to it. But now instead of house arrest, he has given the address of a library cum stay place of the Communist party," Mehta told the Supreme Court.

Opposing Mehta's submissions, Ramakrishnan said that not at all, it was mentioned that it is a library.

In another development on Wednesday in the same case, actress Suhasini Mulay appeared as surety for Navlakha after the Supreme Court passed the directions to place the activist under house arrest.

In its earlier interim order on November 10, the Supreme Court said that Navlakha, arrested in the alleged Bhima Koregaon case, would be shifted from Taloja jail for one month and be kept in "house arrest," after keeping in view his age and health condition.

The court also had asked the NIA to evaluate the premises where he will be placed within 48 hours from the date of the order, ie, from November 10.

It also had asked Navlakha not to use any mobile phone, internet, laptop or any other communicating device.

It, however, permitted him to use a mobile phone provided by the police for 10 minutes in a day only and that too in the presence of police personnel.

The Supreme Court also had said that only his sister and daughter could visit him once in a week for three hours.

Navlakha had moved the Supreme Court seeking its direction for being kept under house arrest, as he pleaded that his health condition is deteriorating and his age is 65 and he is not keeping well.