Mumbai, May 7 (PTI) The Bombay High Court has granted bail to Saidulu Singapanga, one of five contractual workers arrested in 2018 on charges of being Maoist supporters.

On May 5, Justice Bharati Dangre granted bail to Telangana resident Singapanga, who has been in jail since being held in February, 2018.

In her order, she noted that the charge sheet in the case had not revealed any cogent material against Singapanga, who was arrested along with others by the Anti Terrorism Squad under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) on the basis of "secret information" the agency had received.

The ATS had claimed at the time that it had recovered Maoists literature as well as two cheques in the raids at the homes of Singapanga and his co-accused, with the agency adding that they were funding the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist).

They were also charged with having stopped work at Reliance Energy, a supplier of essential services.

Singapanga's lawyer Sudeep Pasbola, however, told HC his client had no association with any banned organisation, and was working closely with the employees' union in the firm.

Before his arrest, Singapanga and other co-accused had been involved in a strike to demand compensation for a worker who died of brain hemorrhage.

In her order, Justice Dangre said the ATS had gone through the Google search history, Facebook accounts, emails of Singapanga and others and had recovered some photographs and PDF documents of Elgar Parishad.

"On the basis of this, it is alleged the applicant is completely under the influence of the Naxalite philosophy and, thus, connected to the Naxalite movement," Justice Dangre noted in her order.

However, witness statements had revealed Singapanga and the others had been holding meetings, collecting money to resolve issues faced by workers at Reliance Infrastructure and not for funding any banned organisation.

"The contractors and the workers whose statements have been compiled in the charge sheet do not speak of any amount being collected to be paid towards the banned organisation, but it is specifically stated it was collected as a donation for which receipt was obtained," Justice Dangre said.

The court said Singapanga was entitled to his liberty "in the absence of any cogent material being compiled in the charge sheet indicting the applicant", and granted him bail on a bond of Rs 50,000.

The accused were contractual workers employed by Reliance Infrastructure, which has now been taken over by Adani Electricity Mumbai Limited.

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