Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday expressed it was not inclined to permit Dalit rights activist and academic Dr. Anand Teltumbde, an accused in the Elgar Parishad–Bhima Koregaon case, to travel abroad for academic assignments. Following this, Teltumbde withdrew his plea seeking permission to travel to the UK and Amsterdam to deliver lectures and attend seminars.
Bench Suggests Virtual Lectures
A bench of Justices Ajey Gadkari and Ranjitsinha Bhonsale noted that he could either deliver the lectures virtually or not go at all. The court took note of the objections raised by the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) that Teltumbde may abscond if allowed to travel to Amsterdam and the United Kingdom. “Give virtual lectures. Or don't go,” the bench remarked.
Arguments from Counsel
Teltumbde’s counsel Mihir Desai submitted that he is not invited only for delivering lectures, but also for attending seminars. He also pointed out that in the past, courts had granted permission to accused persons to travel abroad in similar circumstances.
NIA Opposes Request
Special counsel Chintan Shah, representing the NIA, strongly opposed the request. He submitted that there was a “likelihood of absconding” and cited instances where wanted accused had fled abroad and sought asylum, complicating extradition efforts.
Court Notes Flight Risk
The bench observed that with the special NIA court having already rejected Teltumbde’s discharge application, the apprehension of flight risk could not be ignored. When Desai said that the appeal against that order was pending before the high court, the judges suggested that he could seek an earlier hearing on the same.
As the court was disinclined, Desai sought to withdraw the plea with liberty to pursue appropriate remedies before a suitable forum.
Academic Engagements Planned
Teltumbde had sought to travel to the Netherlands and the UK between April and May this year. According to his petition, he had been invited as a visiting scholar by the University of Amsterdam’s Faculty of Humanities for a four-week program, including lectures, master classes, seminars, and research meetings.
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He was also scheduled to deliver a lecture on Dr. B.R. Ambedkar on April 14 and attend academic engagements at Nottingham Trent University in the UK.
NIA Maintains Objection
Despite the academic nature of the visit, the NIA maintained that he posed a risk to the trial proceedings if allowed to leave the country.
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