Elgar Parishad case: Navlakha files application in court seeking permission to stay in Delhi
CITING expenses and increasing finances in Mumbai, activist-journalist Gautam Navlakha, who was granted bail in the Elgar Parishad case in May 2024, has sought permission to reside in Delhi. In an application filed before the special court in Mumbai, 72-year-old Navlakha has sought relaxation in one of his bail conditions, which directed him to not leave the jurisdiction of the Mumbai court without the court's permission.
'Prior to his arrest, the applicant-accused was an eminent journalist based in Delhi. During his stay in Mumbai, the applicant-accused has been unemployed and financially dependent on friends and family to date. With time, it has become extremely difficult for him to sustain a stable lifestyle in Mumbai,' the plea states, adding that overtime it has become 'uneconomical and burdensome' for him to cope with the increasing finances with a struggle to meet up with basic necessities such as 'house rent, bread and butter, travel, etc', as he and his 73-year-old partner, Sahba, are surviving out of their savings.
Navlakha was arrested on April 14, 2020 by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and granted bail by the Bombay High Court on December 19, 2023, which was confirmed by the Supreme Court in May 2024, following which he was released. The Indian Express had reported in July 2024 that Navlakha and his partner, Sahba, who resides with him, were finding it difficult to find accommodation in Mumbai, due to the pending case. The plea filed on April 21 states that they struggled to find a place to rent for about four months.
The application, filed before the court through lawyers Wahab Khan and Shifa Khan, last week, also states that previously he was permitted to travel to Delhi in November 2024 by the Mumbai court for two months with various conditions, which he had abided by.
'The applicant-accused has a long pending trial to face which requires finances. Hence, it is crucial for him to be employed and financially stable,' the plea said. It says that he undertakes to make himself available and present before the court and the investigating officer as and when required, and to ensure that his absence will not cause any delay in trial. The plea also said that his 86-year-old sister lives in Delhi and is in frail health and he wishes to reside in the same vicinity as her. The plea also states that Navlakha undertakes to not leave the jurisdiction of Delhi without prior permission of the court, except to return to Mumbai.
The special court has directed the NIA to file a reply to the plea. Navlakha and 15 others were arrested in the Elgaar Parishad case where the NIA claims that the accused had links with banned organisation CPI (Maoist). The trial in the case is yet to begin. Previously, co-accused Telugu poet Varavara Rao had also similarly sought permission to live in Telangana, citing high cost of living in Mumbai. While he was permitted to travel for medical reasons, his plea for permanently moving out of Mumbai was rejected.
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