The Bombay High Court dismissed the petition filed by 73-year-old Satyanarayana Rani, an alleged Naxal operative, in connection with the 2019 Gadchiroli blast incident that resulted in the deaths of 15 police personnel and one civilian.
A division bench consisting of Justices Bharati Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande rejected the plea.
Rani, who was granted bail by the high court in July 2022, had subsequently filed a petition 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 of that year in Hyderabad. He has been accused of being an alleged Naxal operative and a participant in the blast conspiracy. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is investigating the case.
Rani is booked under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), and the Explosive Substances Act. The NIA opposed the plea, arguing that there was prima facie evidence indicating his involvement in Naxal activities and the blast.
