“On Friday, the apex court dismissed the NIA’s plea against the Bombay High Court’s bail order for Teltumbde. Accordingly, he was released after completing the necessary bail procedures,” said the official.
On November 18, the high court granted bail to Teltumbde, who was arrested by the NIA on April 14, 2020, after voluntarily surrendering.
Teltumbde is the third of the 16 accused in the case to be released on bail. Poet Varavara Rao is currently out on bail due to health reasons, while lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj is out on regular bail.
The case pertains to alleged inflammatory speeches delivered at the Elgar Parishad conclave on December 31, 2017, in Pune, which was claimed by the police to have incited violence near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial on the outskirts of the city the following day. Pune Police also alleged that the conclave was organized by individuals with Maoist affiliations. A First Information Report was filed by Pune Police on January 8, 2018, under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The NIA later took over the case. Teltumbde had maintained that he was not present at the Elgar Parishad event on December 31, 2017, and did not deliver any provocative speeches.