Seven Years On, Bail Finally For Sagar Gorkhe & Ramesh Gaichor In Bhima Koregaon Case

The Bombay High Court on Friday granted interim bail to Sagar Gorkhe and Ramesh Gaichor in the Bhima Koregaon case, noting the prolonged incarceration of the two accused even as trial in the matter has not commenced after seven years. The activists have been accused of having links with banned Maoist organisations.

A bench of Justices A.S. Gadkari and S. Chandak granted bail on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh each, directing the two to report to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) once every month. Gorkhe and Gaichor, associated with the cultural collective Kabir Kala Manch, had earlier been denied bail by the NIA special (trial) court.

Both men, now in their early forties, were based in Pune and engaged in human rights activism and revolutionary cultural programmes prior to their arrest. Gorkhe is also an accused in a separate UAPA case linked to Kabir Kala Manch, in which the organisation has been described by the prosecution as a frontal outfit propagating Maoist ideology through cultural performances. That case, registered over 12 years ago, remains pending trial.

The Bhima Koregaon case itself has seen no commencement of trial since it was first registered by Pune police in 2018 and later transferred to the NIA. Over the years, the case has drawn judicial scrutiny for prolonged pre-trial arrests under the UAPA, which imposes stringent bail conditions but also requires courts to balance personal liberty against delays in prosecution.

Several activists, lawyers and academics were arrested in the case, including Sudha Bharadwaj, Varavara Rao, Rona Wilson, Prof Shoma Sen, Sudhir Dhawale, advocate Surendra Gadling, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, Anand Teltumbde, Prof Hany Babu, Gautam Navlakha, Stan Swamy, Mahesh Raut and Jyoti Jagtap, apart from Gorkhe and Gaichor. With the exception of Gadling, all have now been granted bail by the Bombay High Court or the Supreme Court, often citing prolonged incarceration and the absence of a foreseeable trial.

Jesuit priest and human rights activist Father Stan Swamy died in judicial custody in 2021 at the age of 84 while lodged at Taloja Central Prison in Navi Mumbai. Courts later took note of the failure to provide timely assistive devices such as a sipper and straw despite repeated applications citing his age and deteriorating health.

Activist Jyoti Jagtap was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court in November 2025.

Surendra Gadling remains the only accused in the Bhima Koregaon case still in custody. He is also facing trial in the Surjagad arson case, relating to the alleged burning of vehicles linked to a mining project in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district. While hearing his bail plea in the Surjagad arson case, the Supreme Court has emphasised the need for an expeditious trial rather than granting bail. Co-accused persons of Gadling in Surjagad arson case are out on bail.

However, the Surjagad trial has yet to begin as the NIA has not placed the evidence before the Gadchiroli sessions court. The agency has maintained that the evidence in the Surjagad case overlaps with that in the Bhima Koregaon case. As a result, Gadling continues to be denied bail in both matters, despite neither trial having commenced more than seven years after his arrest.