SC relief to accused in Gadchiroli IED blast case

Supreme Court granted interim bail to alleged naxal sympathiser Kailash Ramchandani in the 2019 Gadchiroli IED blast case, citing prolonged incarceration and trial delays, while imposing strict conditions and warning that any violation would lead to revocation

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted interim bail to alleged naxal sympathiser Kailash Ramchandani in the sensational case related to the killing of 15 policemen in an IED blast in 2019 at Gadchiroli in Maharashtra.

The interim bail, subject to various conditions, was granted by a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi despite the National Investigation Agency (NIA) alleging that “his hands are coloured with the blood” of police personnel.

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Taking note of the fact that Ramchandani was in jail since his arrest on June 29, 2019, in the case, the bench granted the relief subject to various conditions, including that he will remain at his native place in Gadchiroli and will not leave without the prior nod of the special NIA court.

The bench said that he can only go out of Gadchiroli to attend the trial proceedings at the special NIA court in Mumbai and that he will have to report to the local police station once every week.

Besides, the accused will have to provide his mobile number to the police and will not seek any adjournments in the ongoing trial in the case.

The bench made clear that if it is found that the accused had attempted to connect to Naxals in the area and violates any bail conditions, the NIA can seek revocation of the interim relief.

Ramchandani had challenged the Bombay High Court order rejecting his bail plea on March 5, 2024. He had contended he had been in jail since 2019 and while charges hadn’t been framed in the case so far, the co-accused had been granted bail.

At the outset, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the NIA, opposed the bail plea and said that the accused had a key role in the case related to the killing of 15 policemen.

The law officer said that the IED blast was triggered following his inputs that policemen were on their way to a specific place.

Opposing the plea, Bhati said a special court is hearing the case and many critical witnesses are yet to be examined.

The bench said the accused is a businessman and has been in jail since 2019.

Earlier, the top court had pulled up the Centre and Maharashtra government for not creating courts for cases under special statutes and said that courts will be forced to grant bail to the accused due to delay in trial proceedings.

“If the authority fails to establish courts with requisite infrastructure for conducting speedy trial under the NIA Act and other special statutes, the court would invariably be forced to release the accused on bail, as there is no effective mechanism to conclude the trial in a time-bound manner,” Justice Kant had said.

It had recalled its earlier order of March 17, 2025, which rejected his bail plea filed on the grounds of inordinate delay in conclusion of trial, and said if the Centre and the state government failed to establish special court for the trial of the NIA cases, his plea for relief should be considered on the next hearing.

“Last opportunity is granted to the Centre and the state government to take a decision as per the observations made by the court,” the bench had said.