Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has agreed to urgently hear on Tuesday the Maharashtra government’s plea seeking cancellation of pre-arrest bail granted to Nagpur-based journalist Prashant Koratkar in a case of alleged attempts to breach communal harmony.
Koratkar was booked based on an audio conversation with a historian, allegedly containing statements aimed at causing enmity between communities. He was granted pre-arrest bail by the Kolhapur Additional Sessions Judge D.V. Kashyap, with conditions requiring him to appear before the police and surrender his mobile phone with the SIM card used in the call.
The State has challenged the bail order, citing Koratkar’s non-cooperation with the probe. According to the petition, he has failed to appear before the Juna Rajwada police station in Kolhapur and instead submitted his phone to the Nagpur Cyber Cell through his wife rather than in person.
The State claimed that Koratkar’s actions are hindering the investigation and could lead to witness intimidation. “If the order is not cancelled, the prosecution’s case will be affected, as the accused may dissuade witnesses from disclosing crucial facts,” the State contended, adding that the offence is serious and against society.
The State also alleged that Koratkar had made controversial and offensive statements against Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, aiming to create caste-based discord.
While granting pre-arrest bail to Koratkar, the Kolhapur court had asked him to surrender his cellphone, which has the SIM card from which the alleged call was made on February 25. Seeking cancellation of the relief, the State has claimed that Koratkar did not comply with two of the pre-arrest bail conditions imposed on March 1, 2025, in proper manner as required by the impugned order.
