Elgar Parishad-Maoist case: activist Shoma Kanti Sen is granted bail by the Supreme Court

Academic-activist Shoma Kanti Sen was detained in June 2018 in relation to the Elgar Parishad-Maoist ties case; on Friday, the Supreme Court granted him bail.

Her release on bond is mandated by a bench consisting of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Augustine George Masih, subject to any terms the special court deems appropriate.

One of the stipulations stated in the statement is that Sen cannot leave the state of Maharashtra without the special court’s approval.

The bench declared the decision, saying, “The appellant (Sen) shall inform the investigation officer of the NIA about the address where she shall reside during the period she remains enlarged on bail.”

It said that she would only use one cell phone number and provide it to the investigating officer while she was out on bond.

It said, “The appellant shall also make sure that the mobile phone is charged and active continuously so that she is always reachable for the duration of her extended release on bond.”

“The appellant shall maintain the location status, that is, the GPS of her mobile phone, active 24 hours a day and her phone shall be paired with that of the investigating officer of the NIA to enable him at any given time to identify the appellant’s exact location,” the bench stated. This is the period during which she remains on bail.

It said that Sen must report to the station house officer of the police station, whose jurisdiction she would be residing within, once every two weeks while she is out on bail.

The bench said, “It would be open for the prosecution to seek cancellation of bail granted to the appellant before the special court in the event there is breach of any of these conditions or any other conditions that may be imposed by the special court independently.”

Sen, a professor of English literature and an advocate for women’s rights, was detained on June 6, 2018, in relation to the case.

The case concerns alleged provocative remarks made on December 31, 2017, during the Elgar Parishad gathering in Shaniwarwada, Pune, which police assert incited violence the following day close to the Koregaon-Bhima war monument, which is situated on the outskirts of the city.

The conclave was allegedly supported by Maoists, according to the Pune Police.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) took up the case’s investigation after over a dozen professors and activists were designated as suspects.