Court grants 3-month bail to Naxal leader Kobad Ghandy

New Delhi: Top Maoist ideologue Kobad Ghandy, accused of trying to set up a base for banned outfit CPI (Maoist) here, has been granted interim bail for three months by a Delhi court on health grounds.

The court said that 65-year-old Ghandy, who is in custody in this case since September 2009, was suffering from various ailments and his condition has "visibly deteriorated" during the period of trial.

"In these facts and circumstances, I admit accused Kobad Ghandy to interim bail for a period of three months on his furnishing a personal bond in the sum of Rs one lakh and two sureties of the like amount," Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Reetesh Singh said.

The court is currently recording prosecution evidence in the case in which Ghandy along with co-accused Rajender Kumar alias Arvind Joshi is facing trial.

Ghandy is facing trial for alleged offences punishable under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act(UAPA) and various provisions of the IPC. The court had framed charges against Rajender Kumar under several IPC sections.

During arguments on bail plea, Ghandy's counsel told the court that his client was suffering from multiple ailments for which he required constant medical treatment which was not properly provided in the jail.

The court had called for a report from the superintendent of Tihar jail regarding Ghandy's medical condition and after perusing it, the judge said, "it is apparent that Kobad Ghandy is suffering from a host of medical ailments".

"He (Ghandy) is aged about 65 years. His condition has visibly deteriorated during the period the trial of this case has progressed before this court," the court said.

Ghandy, an alumnus of the prestigious Doon School and St Xavier's College Mumbai, is facing prosecution in around 20 criminal and terror cases in different parts of the country.

According to the police, he was said to be part of the top leadership of erstwhile CPI-ML (People's War Group) since 1981. He allegedly continued as a Central Committee member in CPI (Maoist) after the merger with People's War Group and elected to the Maoist Politburo in 2007.