New Delhi, May 3 (IANS): The Supreme Court on Friday allowed the withdrawal of the bail plea filed by Delhi University’s Professor Hany Babu, an accused in the Bhima Koregaon Elgar Parishad case.

A Bench presided over by Justice Bela M Trivedi was requested by Babu’s counsel for withdrawal of the Special Leave Petition challenging an order of the Bombay High Court which had denied him bail.

He submitted that Babu — an Associate Professor in the Department of English at Delhi University and a resident of Gautam Buddh Nagar in Uttar Pradesh – will apply afresh for bail before the court.

In January this year, the top court issued notice to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Maharashtra Government, and sought their response within a period of three weeks in the matter.

Earlier, the Bombay High Court in September 2022 had refused to interfere with the judgment of Greater Mumbai’s Special Court rejecting the bail application filed by Babu.

A Bench of Justices Nitin Jamdar and NR Borkar of the Bombay High Court had said, “We find that there are reasonable grounds for believing that the accusations of the NIA against the Appellant having conspired, attempted, advocated and abetted the commission of a terrorist act/s and the act/s of preparatory to the commission of a terrorist act, are prima facie true.”

The case pertains to organisation of the Elgar Parishad at Pune, Maharashtra on December 12, 2017 which promoted enmity between various caste groups and led to violence resulting in loss of life and property and state-wide agitation in Maharashtra.

In its investigation, the NIA revealed that Prof Babu was allegedly in contact with Paikhomba Meitei, Secretary Information and Publicity, Military Affairs, Kangleipak Communist Party (MC), an organisation banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and was propagating Maoist activities and Maoist ideology and was a co-conspirator with other accused.