Bombay High Court rejects discharge plea of alleged Naxal operative in 2019 Gadchiroli IED blast case

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday rejected the petition filed by 73-year-old Satyanarayana Rani, an alleged Naxal operative, in connection with the 2019 Gadchiroli blast incident in which 15 police personnel and one civilian were killed.

A division bench of Justices Bharati Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande rejected the plea.

A detailed copy of the order would be available later.

Rani was granted bail by the high court in the case in July 2022. He later filed a petition in the high court seeking discharge from the case claiming there was no evidence against him.

On May 1, 2019, an improvised explosive device (IED) blast targeted a vehicle carrying members of the Maharashtra police's Quick Response Team (QRT) killing 15 police personnel.

Rani was arrested in June that year from Hyderabad. He was accused of being an alleged Naxal operative and also being part of the blast conspiracy.

The case is being probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Rani has been booked under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Explosive Substances Act.

The NIA opposed the plea arguing that there was prima facie evidence to show his involvement in Naxal activities and also the blast.