NIA Seeks Cancellation of Bail Granted to Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira in Bhima Koregaon Case

June 11, 2026 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has moved a Mumbai court seeking cancellation of the bail granted to Bhima Koregaon case accused Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira, alleging that they violated the conditions imposed while being released on bail.

Special NIA Court Judge Chakor S. Baviskar on Wednesday directed both accused to file their replies to the agency’s applications and posted the matter for further hearing on June 19.

According to the NIA, Gonsalves and Ferreira attended a gathering at the Mumbai Press Club on January 19, where several other accused persons in the Bhima Koregaon case were also present. The agency argued that their participation in the event amounted to a breach of the bail conditions. The NIA had earlier filed a similar plea seeking cancellation of bail granted to lawyer-activist Sudha Bharadwaj and Telugu poet Varavara Rao on identical grounds. That application is still pending adjudication before the court.

During the proceedings, the court also allowed the NIA’s applications for issuance of proclamations against two absconding accused, Prakash alias Naveen alias Ritupan Goswami and Ganapathy alias Mupalla Laxman Rao, under the provisions governing proclaimed offenders.

The court is also scheduled to hear several other pending applications on June 19, including discharge pleas filed by the accused, requests for modification of bail conditions, applications concerning prison facilities, issues related to electronic evidence, and petitions seeking permission to travel.

The Bhima Koregaon case concerns allegations of links between the accused and the banned Maoist movement, as well as an alleged larger conspiracy behind the violence that erupted near Pune on January 1, 2018. Sixteen individuals were arrested in connection with the case. Nine were initially arrested by the Pune Police in 2018, while seven others were later arrested by the NIA after it took over the investigation.

Among the accused was Jesuit priest and tribal rights activist Father Stan Swamy, who died in judicial custody in 2021 while awaiting trial.

At present, all surviving accused persons have secured bail from the Supreme Court and the Bombay High Court. However, charges have not yet been framed and the trial has not commenced, as the court continues to adjudicate multiple discharge applications filed by the accused.