Elgar case: Gonsalves was convicted earlier, NIA tells SC to oppose bail

The Supreme Court on Thursday did not dispose of the bail application of Elgar Parishad case accused Vernon Gonsalves and kept it pending.

- AmitAnand Choudhary

New Delhi: The bench posted it for hearing after three months in order to pass appropriate order after taking into account the proceedings in the trial court on framing of charges and discharging of the accused.

Gonsalves, who was arrested on August 28, 2018, and is in custody since, challenged the Bombay high court’s refusal to grant him bail. Senior advocate Rebecca John, appearing for him, submitted that three statements pertaining to him and those recovered from the laptops of other persons were not incriminating against her client. She said that the statements did not spell out any role of his to implicate him under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

John further told the bench that the location of the petitioner and other accused was found to be in Hyderabad at the relevant time, indicating that Gonsalves was not in Maharashtra at the time of the Bhima Koregaon violence.