On Monday, the Supreme Court granted interim bail to Dashrath Singh Bhokta, also known as Dashrath Ganjhu. He is an alleged zonal commander of the banned group Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC). Bhokta faces trial for extortion and terror financing under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Arms Act. The TPC is a splinter group of the banned CPI (Maoist). A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi gave Bhokta relief after noting that other main accused have already been granted bail. The court instructed the trial court to set strict conditions to ensure Bhokta attends all proceedings. The National Investigation Agency (NIA), represented by Additional Solicitor General K M Natraj, opposed the bail plea. Natraj said Bhokta was a member of a banned group and only six out of 60 prosecution witnesses remain to be heard. He asked the court to hear the case after the winter break. Despite this, the Supreme Court granted interim bail considering Bhokta’s long time in custody since May 17, 2020, and applying the parity principle. Bhokta was arrested in connection with a case from Panki police station, which was later taken over by the NIA. He is accused of extorting money from businessmen and contractors across Jharkhand. The money allegedly funded weapons purchase and TPC’s terror activities. He is also accused of buying property in his wife’s name using illegal funds.