Supreme Court Postpones Hearing on Surendra Gadling's Bail Application in Surjagarh Iron Ore Mine Arson Incident
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New Delhi, Dec 18 (NationPress) The Supreme Court on Wednesday postponed, until the second week of January next year, the examination of the bail application of attorney Surendra Gadling, who has been incarcerated in relation to the 2016 Surjagarh iron ore mine arson case.
A bench led by Justice M.M. Sundresh decided to delay the hearing after Gadling's lawyer indicated that the Maharashtra government submitted its response late on Tuesday and the petitioner's side would require additional time to review the counter affidavit.
Agreeing to the request, the bench rescheduled the case for the second week of January 2025.
The apex court was addressing a special leave petition filed by Gadling against the rejection of his appeal submitted under Section 21(4) of the NIA (National Investigation Agency) Act seeking bail.
During a prior hearing, the supreme court had granted the Maharashtra government two weeks to file its response to Gadling's bail plea. The state's representative had requested a 'last chance' to submit the counter affidavit, citing delays in the translation of local documents.
Countering this appeal, senior advocate Anand Grover, representing Gadling, informed the apex court that the Maharashtra government had sought postponement on eight occasions previously.
Gadling has been detained for five years and ten months while the trial is still in its early stages, Grover noted.
Setting a fixed date for the matter, the apex court remarked: 'A case of this nature requires a hearing. This is not an ordinary case. We will provide a specific date. List after two weeks.'
In October of the previous year, the Supreme Court had expressed willingness to review Gadling's plea and requested a response from the Maharashtra government. The anti-terror agency has accused Gadling of allegedly conspiring with Maoist rebels to incinerate 76 trucks transporting iron ore from the Surjagarh mines in Maharashtra. Furthermore, he is purportedly implicated in the Bhima Koregaon-Elgaar Parishad violence, where clashes arose among various caste groups following 'provocative' speeches delivered by Kabir Kala Manch activists on December 31, 2017, in Pune.
Gadling contended that he is a criminal law expert with over 25 years of practice and has been wrongfully implicated in this case, asserting that there is no prima facie evidence against him and that the prosecution's presented evidence is neither trustworthy nor acceptable.
