SC judge Justice S Ravindra Bhat withdraws from hearing plea of activist Gautam Navlakha
New Delhi(PTI): Supreme Court judge Justice S Ravindra Bhat on Monday recused from hearing jailed activist Gautam Navlakha's plea that he be placed under house custody instead of judicial custody in the Elgar-Parishad case.
As the hearing started, Justice Bhat, who was on the bench with Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit, expressed his inability to be part of the hearing but did not elaborate on the reason.
The 70-year-old activist has appealed to the top court against the April 26 order of the Bombay High Court dismissing his plea.
The high court had said that his apprehensions about the lack of medical aid and inadequate basic facilities at the Taloja prison, where he is currently lodged as an undertrial, were "ill-founded."
Recently, 82-year-old activist P Varavara Rao was granted bail in the case by the apex court.
"Justice Bhat cannot hear. This case is not to be listed before a bench with Justice Bhat. List before me on the administrative side. This case was listed before me and Justice KM Joseph last. We will have this case listed before a bench with Justice Joseph," the CJI said in the order on Navlakha's appeal.
Navlakha had told the high court that Taloja prison is overcrowded and the conditions and environment of the jail are not compatible with his health.
"The case of the petitioner does not fit in any of the criteria (provided for by SC). The apprehension of the petitioner that he will not be provided medical aid and his life will be miserable in unhygienic conditions and atmosphere of the prison seems to be ill-founded," the high court had said.
Navlakha had approached HC earlier saying that the Taloja prison had poor facilities. He had said that he had been denied a chair, a pair of slippers, his spectacles, and a PG Wodehouse book by the prison superintendent.
Navlakha had also said that the prison toilets were dirty and while in prison, his health condition had deteriorated. Besides Rao, the only accused on bail in the case is an activist and lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj.
The Bombay High Court had granted relief to Bharadwaj last year.
The case relates to alleged inflammatory speeches made at the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017, which the police claimed triggered violence the next day near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial on the outskirts of the western Maharashtra city.
The Pune Police had also claimed that the conclave was organised by people with alleged Maoist links. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) later took over the probe in the matter.
Several activists and academicians have been arrested in the case including Sudhir Dhawale, Shoma Sen, Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Ferreira and Gautam Navlakha.
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K'taka CM denies knowledge of 'link' between Fazil compensation and Hindu activist murder
Haveri (Karnataka), May 4 (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said he was unaware of reports suggesting that compensation given to Mohammed Fazil’s family was allegedly used to hire contract killers involved in the murder of Hindutva activist Suhas Shetty.
The Chief Minister said he would discuss the matter with Home Minister Parameshwara and district in charge Minister of Dakshina Kannada Dinesh Gundu Rao to get more information.
In 2022, Fazil was murdered in Surathkal by a gang of masked men. History sheeter Suhas Shetty is the prime accused in the murder case.
Addressing reporters here, Siddaramaiah said, “I have to look into it. I don’t have any information. Yesterday Dinesh Gundu Rao and Home Minister (G Parameshwara) had been there. I haven’t spoken to them yet. I will say after talking to them.”
He was replying to a query on police investigation revealing that Rs five lakh out of Rs 25 lakh compensation paid to Fazil’s family by the state government after his murder in 2022, was allegedly paid to the contract killers to eliminate Suhas Shetty.
On Friday, Suhas Shetty was hacked to death. Eight people, including Fazil's brother, have been arrested in this connection.
Asked about the formation of a task force to tackle communal issues, the CM said Parameshwara has said that a police wing was required to identify and subdue anti-social elements.
“I will speak to the Home Minister about it (task force) and then I will let you know,” he added.
Regarding the Centre’s decision to conduct caste census, he said the BJP leaders have been criticising him for conducting the caste census alleging that he was pitching castes against each other.
“Now what are they saying? Today they are wholeheartedly welcoming it (caste census). It’s apparent that they were opposing it for political reasons and not on facts.
To a query about JDS supremo H D Deve Gowda’s allegation that the Congress was adopting "double standards" with regard to the Pahalgam terror attack, Siddaramaiah sought to know what had Gowda said against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Centre before joining the BJP and what is he saying now.
“Who is adopting double standard? It’s Deve Gowda only,” he alleged.
