Guwahati, Feb 11: The Supreme Court on Thursday denied bail petition to activist Akhil Gogoi, who is lodged in jail since December 2019 for his alleged involvement in the violent protests against the Centre’s Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Assam.
A bench of justices N.V. Ramana, Surya Kant and Aniruddha Bose held Gogoi’s plea challenging the Gauhati High Court’s order that rejected his bail petition on January 7.
The Bench said, “We will not consider the petition at this stage.”
Appearing for Gogoi, senior advocate Jaideep Gupta had informed the Bench that there was no evidence against Gogoi’s direct involvement in the violent protests and that, the protests were not a terrorist act.
The bench, however, told advocate Runamoni Bhuyan that the petitioner may approach the top court for bail once the trial starts.
Krishak Mukti Sangram Parishad (KMSS) and Raijor Dal leader Gogoi is lodged in the Guwahati central jail since his arrest in December 2019.
He was arrested on December 12, 2019 as a preventive measure, while protests against the CAA in the northeastern state raged on and resulted in violence at several places.
Gogoi’s case was subsequently handed over to the NIA.
