In a significant development, the Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing for April 9 to review the appeal filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) challenging the bail granted to activist Gautam Navlakha in connection with the Bhima Koregaon violence case. The apex court has also extended the stay on the Bombay High Court's earlier ruling that ordered Navlakha's release on bail.

The bench comprising Justices MM Sundresh and SVN Bhatti addressed the matter and additionally considered a separate petition filed by Navlakha, requesting the relocation of his house arrest to Mumbai. Currently under house arrest in Navi Mumbai, Navlakha is the subject of a probe under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with the Bhima Koregaon violence case.

During the proceedings, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju opposed Navlakha's plea, highlighting that he has yet to pay the substantial sum of ₹1 crore incurred for the round-the-clock security provided by the Maharashtra police.

Senior advocate Nithya Ramakrishnan, representing Navlakha, challenged the mentioned amount, accusing the NIA of attempting to coerce the petitioner, who lacks a steady source of income. The choice of words used by Ramakrishnan drew objection from the ASG, leading to a debate before the bench.

Navlakha, aged 72, was arrested in April 2020 on allegations of involvement in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence in Maharashtra. He faces accusations of having connections with the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) and stands charged under the stringent UAPA.

The Bhima Koregaon case revolves around purported inflammatory speeches delivered during an Elgar Parishad conclave in Pune on December 31, 2017. These speeches, as claimed by the police, allegedly incited violence the following day near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial on the outskirts of Pune, resulting in one fatality.

Navlakha is among the 16 activists and intellectuals implicated in the Bhima Koregaon conspiracy case. He is alleged to have delivered an inflammatory speech during the Elgar Parishad conclave at Shaniwarwada, Pune, on December 31, 2017. Arrested in April 2020, Navlakha was granted temporary house arrest on November 10, 2022, due to deteriorating health after spending over three years in custody at Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai. Subsequently, he was placed under house arrest on November 19 in Navi Mumbai.