Sakina Tashrifwala
Published on: October 17, 2022 at 19:52 IST
Jyoti Jagtap, an accused in the Bhima Koregoan-Elgar Parishad Case under the anti-terror Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), was denied bail by the Bombay High Court on Monday.
Jagtap, 32, is alleged to be a member of the Kabir Kala Manch, a cultural organisation labelled as a front organisation for the banned CPI (Maoist). The NIA apprehended her in September of 2020.
According to the NIA, Jagtap and others organised the Elgar Parishad on December 31, 2017, which sparked unrest the next day.
The order was issued by a division bench of Justices AS Gadkari and Milind Jadhav.
“Appeal dismissed,” the court concluded, adding that the NIA’s claims appeared to be true on the surface.
Jagtap alleged in her bail plea, submitted through counsel Kritika Aggarwal, that she is an artist and vocalist from a marginalised community who has worked with various NGOs.
Furthermore, she was neither absconding nor listed in the initial charge sheet filed in the case by the Pune Police.
While the matter was later transferred to NIA, she claimed that the agency had found nothing new against her that justified her imprisonment. Senior Advocate Mihir Desai representing Jagtap argued that the idea of front organisation is incorrect.
“Frontal organisations must be notified (as a prohibited organisation) in some way, which by definition means that not everyone is a member of the main organisation. The party controls frontal organisations, but not everyone may join them,” Desai stated.
The NIA, backed by counsel Sandesh Patil, claimed that accused Milind Teltumbde, who died last year, discussed the Elgar Parishad event with the three members of the Kabir Kala Manch.
It further stated that Maoist doctrine was conveyed during the gathering with the assistance of these three and others. According to the agency, Jagtap was one of the major conspirators.
Jagtap was also charged by the CIA of receiving weapons training in the Korchi forest.
The NIA stated in its response that Jagtap was one of the major conspirators and an active member of the banned CPI (Maoist) working in an urban area through the frontal organisation Kabir Kala Manch, and that she was also in contact with the co-accused.
“The act done by the appellant is against the interest of the nation, which for any reason cannot be overlooked,” the NIA stated, requesting that the appeal be dismissed.
Jagtap denied these charges, claiming that the agency had given no evidence to demonstrate she was a member of KKM, let alone that she was working to advance the CPI (Maoist) goal.