Professor Anand Teltumbde attends “Varavara Rao: A life in Poetry” book launch at the Mumbai Press Club. September 2, 2023.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has opposed a plea by academician Anand Teltumbde, an accused in the Elgar Parishad case, seeking permission from the Bombay High Court to travel abroad for academic engagements. The agency argued that Mr. Teltumbde poses a flight risk and might seek asylum if allowed to leave the country.

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Mr. Teltumbde, who is currently out on bail, had approached the High Court last month requesting approval to visit the Netherlands and the United Kingdom during April and May to deliver lectures focusing on Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

In an affidavit submitted last week, the NIA contended that Mr. Teltumbde and his co-accused face “serious and heinous charges” related to the alleged propagation of Maoist and Naxalite ideology. The agency argued there was no necessity for him to travel physically, suggesting the lectures could be delivered online.

Describing Mr. Teltumbde as a “senior and active member” of the proscribed Communist Party of India (Maoist), the NIA alleged he was misusing his academic position for “nefarious activities.” The affidavit warned of a “strong possibility” that he could abscond and seek refuge abroad to evade trial. “The likelihood of the accused taking asylum in a foreign country cannot be ruled out,” it stated.

On Thursday (April 3, 2025), the plea was mentioned before a bench headed by Justice A.S. Gadkari. However, the court observed that the matter was assigned to a different bench and directed that it be placed before the appropriate judge.

In his petition, Mr. Teltumbde identified himself as a prominent scholar specialising in Ambedkarite thought, caste issues, public policy, and democratic rights in India. He detailed several invitations, including a four-week programme at the University of Amsterdam in April, a lecture at Leiden University (Netherlands) on April 16, and a two-week Scholar-in-Residence position at Nottingham Trent University (U.K.) in May.

His plea also listed invitations from three other UK institutions, including Oxford University. Seeking the release of his passport to complete visa formalities, Mr. Teltumbde emphasized the purely academic nature of his engagements.

Mr. Teltumbde was granted regular bail by the Bombay High Court on November 18, 2022, a decision later upheld by the Supreme Court which declined to interfere with the High Court’s order following an NIA appeal.

The Elgar Parishad case relates to alleged inflammatory speeches delivered at a conclave held in Shaniwarwada in Pune on December 31, 2017. Police claimed these speeches triggered violence near the Koregaon Bhima war memorial the following day. The investigation, initially handled by Pune Police before being transferred to the NIA, alleges that the conclave had Maoist backing.