SC to hear on Friday NIA's appeal against Teltumbde bail

The Supreme Court agreed to hear on Friday an appeal by the National Investigation Agency against the bail granted to scholar-activist Anand Teltumbde in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case.

A bench, headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, took note of the submissions by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that the stay on the operation on the high court's bail order is for a week only and the matter needed urgent hearing.

"We will hear it on Friday," the CJI told the law officer.

The Bombay High Court had granted bail to Teltumbde last Friday in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, noting that there was no evidence to show that he was an active member of the banned outfit CPI (Maoist) or had indulged in any terrorist act.

Teltumbde, 73, is the third accused of the total 16 arrested in the case to be released on bail. Poet Varavara Rao is currently out on bail on health grounds, and lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj is out on regular bail.

The high court, however, had stayed its bail order for a week so that the NIA, the probe agency in the case, could approach the SC. Teltumbde will not be able to walk out of jail till then.