Lawyer and activist Sudha Bharadwaj got bail in the Bhima-Koregaon violence case. She was released from Byculla women's jail on Thursday morning. Bhardwaj was one of the 16 people who were arrested three years ago in the Bhima-Koregaon case.
Sudha Bharadwaj along with others was slapped with 10 sections of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967.
A Supreme Court bench of Justices UU Lalit, SR Bhat, and Bela M Trivedi rejected the National Investigation Agency's plea by stating, "We see no reason to interfere with the High Court order. Plea dismissed,"
Bharadwaj's case was earlier handled by Pune police before handing it over to the NIA. She was initially kept at the Yerwada prison near Pune. A special NIA court said that the 60-year old activist will have to submit her passport and stay in Mumbai. She would require court's permission to leave the city limits. She was released on a cash bail of ₹ 50,000. She will also have to visit her nearest police station.
A case was filed against her for allegedly giving inflammatory speeches at the Elgar Parishad conclave on December 31, 2017. The police claimed that these speeches triggered violence.
Priest-activist Stan Swamy, 84, was also arrested under UAPA in the Elgar Parishad case. He died in July 2021 in the midst of the fight for bail on health grounds.
Political activist and poet Varavara Rao, was granted bail on medical grounds earlier this year, in the same case.