The Bombay High Court on Friday refused to grant anticipatory bail to civil rights activists Gautam Navlakha and Anand Teltumbde in the Elgar Parishad- alleged Maoist links case. Justice P D Naik rejected the pre-arrest bail pleas filed by them. The court, however, extended the interim protection from arrest granted to them for a period of four weeks so that hey can approach the Supreme Court in appeal.

Bhima Koregaon case: Bombay High Court rejects the anticipatory bail plea of Gautam Navlakha and Anand Teltumbde. The court has given them 4-weeks time to approach the Supreme Court. pic.twitter.com/z0NhewneYN

— ANI (@ANI) February 14, 2020

Navlakha, Teltumbde and several other activists have been booked by the Pune Police for their alleged Maoist links and several other charges following the violence at Koregaon Bhima village in Pune district on January 1, 2018. According to Pune Police, "inflammatory" speeches and "provocative" statements made at the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017, had triggered caste violence at Koregaon Bhima the next day. The police alleged that the conclave was backed by Maoists.