Aishwarya Rathore-
Published on: September 3, 2021, at 15:28 IST
The Bombay High Court on Friday granted two weeks’ time to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to respond to the petitions of activists Sudha Bharadwaj and Gautam Navlakha, seeking clone copies of all the electronic devices seized from them by the Central Agency.
Last month, Bharadwaj and Navlakha approached the High Court for such copies.
However, on Friday, Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh informed the Bench of Justices S S Shinde and N J Jamadar that the NIA’s reply was “almost ready” and that he needed two more weeks to file it.
The Bench granted the Central Agency additional time after Singh stated that it would stick to its oral statement made on the previous date that Charges in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case will not be framed before the Special NIA Court until the next date before the High Court on the above said pleas.
At the time, the accused asked the Special Court to delay the filing of Charges until their petitions for clone copies were resolved.
After the Special Court refused to delay the filing of Charges, Bharadwaj and Navlakha approached the High Court.
The High Court accepted Singh’s statement that the framing of Charges in the case would be postponed till the next date of hearing on the pleas.
The Court will hear the petitions on September 24.
Also Read: Accused seeks default bail in Elgar Parishad Case
