Don't allow Navlakha plea for house arrest: NIA

The National Investigation Agency NIA on Tuesday urged the Bombay High Court to not grant to jailed human rights activist Gautam Navlakha an accused in the Elgar ParishadMaoists link case the relief of house arrest arguing doing so would result in difficulties including the inability to prevent him from using social media while out of prisonUse of social media or the Internet by Navlakha could prove to be dangerous NIA counsel Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh said while opposing the septuagenarian activists plea that he be kept under house arrestSingh said if the court permitted Navlakha to be shifted out of jail and placed under house arrest until the trial in the case ended Maharashtra and Union government authorities will have several difficulties in implementing such an orderThe Additional Solicitor General said the grounds cited by Navlakhas counsel Yug Chaudhry for house arrest were common grievances such as the Taloja prison in Navi Mumbai where the activist is lodged being overcrowded and his client suffering from hypertensionToday issues like hypertension diabetes are common Where is the question of house arrest Tomorrow this court will be flooded it will become like a market with thousands of jail inmates asking for house arrest Singh saidChaudhry however termed Singhs apprehension of being flooded with requests for house arrest from jail inmates as unfoundedPolice guards can be posted outside his Navlakhas house but how will the court stop him from using social media the Internet in his house This is very dangerous He is an accused in a matter concerning national security and he wants to stay in his house Singh saidThe NIA counsel further said it was common knowledge that India was a crowded nation and that the city of Mumbai was overcrowded Therefore the Taloja prison being overcrowded was not an adequate reason for grant of house arrestThe Maharashtra government too opposed Navlakhas plea and told a bench of Justices SB Shukre and GA Sanap that the prison authorities will provide requisite medical care to the activistThe states counsel Sangeeta Shinde refuted allegations of denial of basic medical care and other necessities made by Navlakha against the prison authoritiesHe has been kept in a high security cell and he is the only one in his cell she saidShinde maintained that Navlakhas allegations on the prison toilets being unhygienic were incorrect since those lodged in high security cells were required to clean their cells and toilets themselvesHe has been provided with phenyl and acid for cleaning purposes Shinde saidResponding to the HCs previous query on a book by noted English author and humorist PG Wodehouse being denied to Navlakha by jail officials on ground of security threat the state counsel said the book had been sent by the activists family at a time when the coronavirus pandemic was raging and as a security measure no parcels from outside were allowed in the prisonThe HC however refused to accept the justification and pointed out that the prison authorities had merely mentioned security threat as ground for not allowing access of the book to the activist and not mentioned Covid19 as a reason at all in their written affidavit filed before the courtAdvocate Chaudhry told the HC that the state and the NIAs apprehension of the court being flooded with requests for house arrest were unfounded since as per the NHRC data only 1874 inmates above the age of 50 were lodged as undertrials in Maharashtra and that just about 20 per cent of them were likely to be above the age of 70Please dont let the fear of the dragon scare your lordships from implementing the green signal given by the Supreme Court on house arrest Chaudhry told the benchThe HC closed all arguments in the case and reserved its verdict on Navlakhas pleaThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever