SUPREME COURT TELLS BHIMA KOREGAON CASE ACCUSED GAUTAM NAVLAKHA: IF YOU HAVE SOUGHT FOR HOUSE ARREST, YOU MUST PAY THE EXPENSES

The Supreme Court in the case orally informed Bhima Koregaon-accused Gautam Navlakha's Advocate, Shadan Farasat, that if house arrest was sought, the surveillance expenses incurred by the National Investigation Agency, NIA must be paid.

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The Advocate Shadan Farasat prayed before the court that expenses was of no difficulty and that the issue is about calculating such expenses.

Adding to it, the Advocate Shadan Farasat stated that he would take the latest calculation from the Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the NIA, and will address it.

The bench comprising of Justice MM Sundresh and Justice SVN Bhatti in the case observed and has adjourned the matter while making it clear that it would examine the calculation, as filed by the agency, and objections with regards to the same on the next hearing date.

The court observed that septuagenarian has been in custody since August 2018 for offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, after being arrested in connection with the 2018 caste-based violence that broke out at Bhima Koregaon in Pune and for allegedly furthering the agenda of proscribed far-left outfit Communist Party of India, Maoists and conspiring to overthrow the government. Thus, he being under house arrest since November 2022 following the interventions of apex court's.