By Mewati Sitaram
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday criticised Taloja Central Prison for failing to follow its directive to release Elgar Parishad accused Ramesh Gaichor on interim bail on September 9. The court has directed the jail superintendent to tender an unconditional apology by Thursday.
Advocates Mihir Desai and Sanskruti Yagnik requested a hearing to adjust Gaichor’s bail dates, as the release procedure could not be completed on time. They proposed shifting the interim bail from September 9–11 to September 16–19 to allow him to meet his ailing father.
A bench led by Justice AS Gadkari had granted temporary bail on August 26, with the condition that Gaichor execute a PR bond and deposit ₹25,000 cash security with the jail superintendent. Due to Ganpati holidays, the cash was deposited only on September 9.
Taloja prison insisted on a release bond from the sessions court, following standard procedure. The bench called this high-handedness and questioned the need for additional formalities, while Chief Public Prosecutor Mankunwar Deshmukh said the delay arose from a misunderstanding by the superintendent.
Editor in Chief : Mewati SItaram
