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**Summary:**

The Bombay High Court has reserved its judgment on the bail plea of Professor Hany Babu, who has been in custody for over five years related to the 2018 Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon case. Babu’s lawyer argued for bail based on the inordinate delay in the trial and the prosecution’s failure to respond to his client’s discharge application. The NIA opposed the bail, claiming Babu’s involvement in “terror activity” and that his case differs from others granted bail on similar grounds. Babu was arrested in 2020, accused of links to banned Maoist organizations and supporting G.N. Saibaba.

**News Article:**

**Bombay High Court Reserves Order on Hany Babu’s Bail Plea in Elgar Parishad Case**

**Mumbai, October 3, 2025** – The Bombay High Court has reserved its order on the bail application of former Delhi University professor Hany Babu, who has been imprisoned for five years and two months in connection with the 2018 Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon case. A Division Bench of Justices A.S. Gadkari and R.R. Bhonsale concluded hearing arguments on Friday and stated they “may take some time to pronounce the order.”

Senior advocate Yug Mohit Chaudhary, representing Babu, argued for his client’s release citing the significant delay in the trial proceedings. He emphasized that the prosecution has yet to respond to a discharge application filed on Babu’s behalf two years ago. “The charge is not even framed, and his discharge application filed two years ago has not even been replied to by the prosecution till now,” Chaudhary stated, questioning the prosecution’s intent to conduct a trial and citing violations of Article 21. He also drew comparisons to other accused individuals, like Vernon Gonsalves, who were granted bail by the Supreme Court based on similar circumstances.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), represented by Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, opposed the bail plea. Singh argued that Babu’s case differed from Gonsalves, whose release was attributed to a lack of evidence. The NIA alleges Babu was “involved in terror activity.” Singh also claimed that the delay was partly due to the trial court’s decision to hear all discharge applications together, though the NIA had filed a reply opposing Babu’s discharge. Furthermore, he argued that Babu’s period of custody was less than that of other co-accused, like Rona Wilson and Sudhir Dhawade.

Hany Babu was arrested on July 28, 2020, in Pune. He is accused of having links with the Revolutionary Democratic Front and the banned CPI (Maoist). The prosecution also alleges that he was part of a committee supporting G.N. Saibaba, a fellow academic who was sentenced to life imprisonment for alleged Maoist connections. The court’s decision is pending.

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