2019 Gadchiroli blast: SC grants bail to man accused of supplying gear to Maoists

New Delhi [India], January 6 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted bail to one Kailash Ramchandani, who is accused of being instrumental in supplying wires and other explosive apparatus to Maoists from his shop in the 2019 Gadhchiroli Bomb Blast, which killed 15 police personnel and a civilian.
A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi verbally observed that allegations against Ramchandani could seem likely to be true; however, he is not a "hardened" criminal and does not have any criminal antecedents which could influence the pending trial in the case.
Further, the court noted that as per the current status of the trial, the prosecution seeks to examine more than 200 witnesses, and the conclusion of the trial will take considerable time.
While granting bail to Ramchandani, the court imposed six conditions upon his release, including barring him from leaving his native residence in Gadhchiroli except for visiting the trial court in Bombay when required. It further stated that the accused shall weekly report to the local police station and give his mobile number to the authorities.
Moreover, the accused or his counsel shall not delay or request adjournments for cross-examination or otherwise in the trial, the court added.
The court also noted that the accused, while on bail, shall not make any direct or indirect contact with the co-accused persons. If it is found doing so then authorities are at liberty to seek cancellation of bail.
Initially, the court had granted an interim bail to Ramchandani and posted the matter for further hearing at March end. However, for the purpose of disposing of the case, the court granted him regular bail.
Ramchandani was arrested on 29 June, 2019.
He has been booked under Sections 302 and 353 of the Indian Penal Code, Section 5 of the Arms Act and under various provisions of the Explosives Act, the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
During the hearing, ASG Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the State of Maharashtra and NIA, opposed Ramchandanis' bail plea. She submitted that there are allegations against Ramchandani that he had instructed the attackers to undertake the IED (Improvised Explosive Device) blast.
Alleging his direct involvement, Bhati stressed that Ramchandani used to supply walkie-talkies and other supplies to the Naxalites. The accused had even gone to the forest areas and met with Maoists who are allegedly behind the 2019 blast.
The counsel appearing for Ramchandani, on the other hand, sought bail on the ground that the trial in the case is not likely to commence soon due to the pendency of around 202 other trials in the same court.