Supreme Court to hear bail plea of Bhima Koregaon accused Surendra Gadling on October 14

The Supreme Court said on Tuesday (September 1, 2026) that it would hear on October 14 a bail plea filed by advocate and activist Surendra Gadling in connection with the 2016 Surjagarh iron ore mine arson case.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Mr. Gadling, told a Bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Augustine George Masih, and Sandeep Mehta that his client had been incarcerated for over seven years. He pointed out that Mr. Gadling was also an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case and had already been granted bail in that case.

“Another case was foisted on him at the same time,” Mr. Sibal submitted.

Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, appearing for the Maharashtra government, urged the Bench to list the matter on a non-miscellaneous day to allow for a detailed hearing.

“I have to point out the evidence against him,” Mr. Raju said.

Attack on mine vehicles

The present bail plea arises from the 2016 Surjagarh arson case, in which several vehicles transporting iron ore from Surjagarh mines in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district were allegedly set ablaze by persons associated with the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist).

Mr. Gadling has been lodged in Taloja Central Prison since June 2018, following his arrest in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case. The prosecution alleges that provocative speeches delivered at the Elgar Parishad conclave in Pune on December 31, 2017, triggered violence near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial the following day.

He was subsequently arrested in February 2019 in connection with the Surjagarh arson case. On January 31, 2023, the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court rejected his bail plea, observing that the allegations concerning his membership of the banned Maoist organisation appeared prima facie true. He subsequently approached the Supreme Court, which issued a notice on his petition on October 10, 2023.

The bail plea has since faced repeated delays, including recusals by Supreme Court judges. Most recently, Justice Shree Chandrashekhar recused himself from hearing the matter on July 21, 2026, marking the third such recusal by a Supreme Court judge in the preceding year. No reasons were assigned for the recusals.

Earlier, on August 8, 2025, senior advocate Anand Grover, also appearing for Mr. Gadling, had urged then Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai to have the matter listed urgently, citing his prolonged incarceration. He had pointed out that the bail plea had been repeatedly adjourned, including on account of the prosecution seeking additional time to file its counter-affidavit.