Elgar case: NIA seeks cancellation of bail of activists Sudha Bharadwaj and Varavara Rao

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has told a special court that the two accused violated bail conditions by attending a gathering at the Mumbai Press Club on January 19 where other co-accused in the Elgaar Parishad case were present. The Court has asked Bharadwaj and Rao to respond to the plea.

A special court on Friday (May 15, 2026) sought the response of lawyer-activist Sudha Bharadwaj (65) and Telugu poet-activist Varavara Rao (85) to an application filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) seeking cancellation of their bail.

The NIA said Bharadwaj and Rao attended a meeting on the terrace of the Mumbai Press Club on January 19. According to the agency, other co-accused in the Elgaar Parishad case were also present at the gathering. The NIA added that the bail conditions imposed on the two barred them from communicating with co-accused or with others involved in similar activities.

Bharadwaj was granted bail by the Bombay High Court in December 2021. Rao received interim bail on medical grounds in February 2021. The Supreme Court confirmed his interim bail in August 2022 after it was extended several times.

The NIA said the January 19 gathering was meant to propagate the ideology of the CPI (Maoist) and discuss the future of the “Urban Naxal” movement. In its application, the agency attached a copy of the Mumbai Press Club inquiry committee report, CCTV footage from the gathering, and call data records of the accused.

Last month, NIA officials contacted office-bearers of the Mumbai Press Club. This came two days after the club suspended three of its members following the January 19 event. The club’s internal committee report had raised concerns about the bail conditions of the accused who attended the gathering.

On May 7, a Mumbai City Civil Court stayed the expulsion of one of the suspended members, Gurbir Singh. The court said the action appeared to be intended to prevent him from contesting the club’s elections. It allowed Singh to contest and directed the club’s committee members to file a response.

All 15 accused arrested in the Elgaar Parishad case have been granted bail. The trial has not started. Lawyer Surendra Gadling remains in custody in a separate case in Gadchiroli. Tribal rights activist Stan Swamy, 84, died in custody in 2021.