The Bombay High Court on Tuesday (August 26, 2025) granted three-day temporary bail to activist Ramesh Murlidhar Gaichor, one of the accused in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon-Elgar Parishad case, so he can visit his ailing 76-year-old father.
Justice A.S. Gadkari and Justice Rajesh Patil directed Mr. Gaichor’s release from September 9 to September 11 on furnishing a ₹25,000 cash security with the central prison authorities.
The Bench noted that Mr. Gaichor has been in custody since September 2020 and has not met his father in more than four years. Hospital records submitted in court showed that his father was admitted to Global Hospital, Yerwada, Pune, on June 26 for age-related ailments and got discharged the following day.
“Considering the appellant’s father’s age and medical condition, and the fact that he has not met him since arrest, we are inclined to grant temporary bail,” the court said.
Mr. Gaichor had earlier sought two weeks’ interim bail from a special NIA court, but the plea was rejected on July 1 after the court observed that his father’s medical papers did not indicate any serious condition. After that he moved the High Court on August 1.
Senior Advocate Mihir Desai, appearing for Mr. Gaichor, argued that the request was purely humanitarian and limited in scope, assuring the court of full compliance with bail conditions. The petition argued that other co-accused in the case were granted bail by the Special Court Judge on humanitarian ground to attend weddings, death rites and to write law exams but the same court failed to see the fact, Mr. Gaichor’s petition for interim bail was also on humanitarian grounds to visit his ailing father, despite submitting all his medical records to the court.
Mr. Gaichor is among the 16 activists and academics arrested in connection with the Elgar Parishad conclave case in Pune for allegedly delivering inflammatory speeches delivered on December 31, 2017. Police claimed that the speeches allegedly triggered violence the following day near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial. He remains lodged at Taloja Central Jail in Navi Mumbai.
Published – August 27, 2025 04:16 am IST
