Mumbai, March 20 A special NIA court in Mumbai denied permission to Hany Babu, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, to visit Kerala for two months to celebrate Eid with his elderly mother, observing that the plea was "mischievous".
In his ruling on Wednesday, Special NIA Judge Chakor Baviskar reprimanded Babu for filing a similar plea despite being denied permission a month earlier due to conditions imposed by the Bombay High Court when he was granted bail.
Babu was granted bail in December 2025 by the Bombay High Court on the grounds of prolonged incarceration of over five years without trial. The conditions imposed on him by the HC included that he reside within Greater Mumbai and not leave the city without prior permission from the NIA court.
"The accused appears to have taken the HC's order too lightly and casually," the NIA judge said, asserting that the grounds of celebrating Eid and post-operative care were "not of much significance now," as he had already been allowed to visit Kerala for a gallbladder surgery and stay with his mother in the previous month.
If Babu wants to reside with his mother for some more time, he should seriously consider having her shifted to Mumbai, the NIA court said.
"Another ground of medical follow-up is equally insufficient and unsatisfactory. All the post-operation reports are absolutely normal. The accused is reported to be in quite good health," the court said.
Nevertheless, if he wants to undergo some medical check-up, he can certainly do so in Mumbai, and he need not incur huge travel expenses to go to Kerala, Judge Baviskar stated.
World-class medical facilities are available in Mumbai in private, charitable, municipal, and government hospitals, the NIA court order added.
The judge emphasised that despite the reasoned order in February, Babu has moved a similar plea again, which "if allowed, would amount to flouting the order of the High Court".
"This is certainly wasting the time of this court. This court has made it clear that it cannot go by the terms and conditions imposed by the HC regarding attendance (at the NIA office). This is the reason I have classified the plea as mischievous," the judge emphasised.
The case relates to alleged inflammatory speeches made at the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017, which the police claimed triggered violence the next day near the Koregaon Bhima war memorial on the outskirts of Maharashtra's second-largest city.
The Pune police had claimed that the conclave was organised by persons with Maoist links, following which an FIR was lodged on January 8, 2018, under the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) later took over the investigation in the case.