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Delhi University professor and human rights defender Hany Babu, who has been languishing in jail under the draconian UAPA since 2020, has approached the Bombay High Court again, seeking bail in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence case.
A Division Bench of Justices Bharati Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande has directed the Registry to take appropriate steps to list the matter after being informed that related bail applications were decided by a coordinate Bench, Bar and Bench reported.
Earlier this year, a Bench led by Justice AS Gadkari had denied default bail to others accused in the Bhima Koregaon case, namely Surendra Gadling, Mahesh Raut, Rona Wilson, Sudhir Dhawale and Shoma Sen.
On 28 July, 2020, the National Investigation Agency arrested Babu, an anti-caste activist and a staunch proponent of social justice. Babu was charged alongside several other prominent Dalit and Adivasi rights activists, whom the authorities accused of inciting caste-based violence through speeches on December 31, 2017, that resulted in violent clashes the next day in Bhima Koregaon and neighboring villages in Maharashtra state. Authorities also accused them of having ties to banned Maoist groups. Babu was charged under various sections of the Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
He is currently lodged at Taloja Central Jail, Navi Mumbai.
In February 2022, a trial court in Maharashtra rejected the bail plea filed by Babu and three others. In September 2022, the Bombay High Court upheld the trial court’s decision to reject Babu’s bail plea.
This was challenged by Babu before the Supreme Court. In January this year, the apex court sought the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) response to Babu’s regular bail plea. However, in May this year, Babu withdrew his bail plea from the Supreme Court citing a change in circumstances and indicated that he would move a fresh bail plea before the Bombay High Court.
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