3 min readMumbaiUpdated: May 16, 2026 04:33 AM IST
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has sought cancellation of the bail granted to Elgaar Parishad accused and lawyer-activist Sudha Bharadwaj and Telugu poet-activist Varavara Rao, alleging that they violated bail conditions by attending an event at the Mumbai Press Club where other co-accused were present.
A special court on Friday sought their response to the NIA’s plea.
Bharadwaj (65) was granted bail by the Bombay High Court in December 2021, while Rao (85) was granted interim bail on medical grounds in February 2021. His interim bail was extended from time to time before being confirmed by the Supreme Court in August 2022.
The NIA claimed that both had violated bail conditions that barred them from establishing communication with co-accused or others allegedly involved in similar activities.
According to the agency, Bharadwaj and Rao attended a meeting held on January 19 on the terrace of the Mumbai Press Club, where other co-accused in the Elgaar Parishad case were also present.
Last month, NIA officials approached office-bearers of the Mumbai Press Club, two days after three of its members were suspended over the January 19 event. The club suspended the three members after an internal committee report cited concerns over the bail conditions of the accused persons who attended the gathering.
On May 7, a Mumbai City Civil Court, in an interim order, stayed the expulsion of one of the members, Gurbir Singh, observing prima facie that the action appeared to be “only with an intent to prevent him from contesting the elections of the club”. The court also allowed Singh to contest the elections and directed the Press Club’s committee members and office-bearers to file their response.
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Currently, all 15 accused arrested in the Elgaar Parishad case have been granted bail, though the trial is yet to begin. Lawyer Surendra Gadling remains in custody in connection with a separate Gadchiroli case, while 84-year-old tribal rights activist Stan Swamy died in custody in 2021.
The NIA alleged that the January 19 gathering was aimed at propagating the ideology of the CPI (Maoist) and discussing the future course of the “Urban Naxal” movement.
In its application seeking cancellation of bail, the agency attached a copy of the Mumbai Press Club inquiry committee report, CCTV footage of the gathering, and referred to call data records of the accused.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
