The Supreme Court has postponed the bail hearing of advocate Surendra Gadling to December 18 in relation to the 2016 Surjagarh mine arson incident. The case involves the alleged destruction of 76 vehicles by Maoist rebels at an iron ore mine in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district.
During a brief session, the bench comprising Justices M M Sundresh and Aravind Kumar granted an adjournment after the Maharashtra government’s counsel requested additional time to translate some documents presented in the vernacular language. The state has been given two weeks to submit the requisite documents.
Senior advocate Anand Grover, representing Gadling, emphasized the urgency of the matter, noting that Gadling has been incarcerated for nearly six years. The Supreme Court had previously issued a notice to the Maharashtra government on October 10, 2023, seeking a response to Gadling’s petition within four weeks.
Gadling is accused of aiding Maoists at the grassroots level and conspiring with various co-accused, some of whom remain at large. The charges against him, under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and the Indian Penal Code, include providing secret government information and maps to Maoist rebels and inciting opposition to the operation of the Surjagarh mines. The prosecution also alleges that Gadling encouraged local participation in the Maoist movement.
This is not Gadling’s only legal battle. He is also implicated in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist link case, related to allegedly inflammatory speeches at a conclave in Pune on December 31, 2017, which purportedly incited violence the following day near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial.
