Elgar Parishad case: Supreme Court refuses to grant interim bail to jailed activist Jyoti Jagtap

Supreme Court denies interim bail to activist Jyoti Jagtap in Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, adjourns main bail plea.

The Supreme Court on July 15 refused to grant interim bail to activist Jyoti Jagtap, who is in jail in connection with the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case.

A Bench comprising justices M.M. Sundresh and Aravind Kumar also adjourned the hearing on the main bail plea of the activist. "We are not inclined to give interim bail", Justice Subdresh said.

Jagtap has moved the apex court challenging the October 17, 2022 order of the Bombay High Court that refused to grant her bail, saying the National Investigation Agency's (NIA) case against her was "prima facie true" and that she was part of a "larger conspiracy" hatched by the banned CPI (Maoist) outfit.

The High Court had said Jagtap was an active member of the Kabir Kala Manch (KKM) group, which during its stage play at the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017 gave not only "aggressive, but highly provocative slogans".

The 2017 Elgar Parishad conclave was held at Shaniwarwada, an 18th-century palace-fort located in the heart of Pune city.

Jagtap, accused of singing and raising provocative slogans at the conclave along with other KKM members, was arrested in September 2020 and has been lodged at the Byculla women's prison in Mumbai since then.

According to the investigators, provocative speeches that were allegedly made at the conclave triggered violence at Koregaon-Bhima on the outskirts of Pune on January 1, 2018. Jagtap is lodged in jail for offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.