Navlakha Bail Denial Flawed But SC Backing House Arrest as Alternative to Jail a Blow for Rights Though the activistâs right to default bail on the basis of his 34-days house arrest in 2018 was turned down by the top court, the judges found merit in treating house arrests as an alternative form of detention. Writer and activist Gautam Navlakha being taken in to custody by the Pune police on August 28, 2018. Photo: PTI Rights9 hours ago Well-known human rights activist Gautam Navlakha lost his legal battle for default bail in the Supreme Court on Wednesday. But his case has ironically persuaded the top court to make a huge advance on human rights so that other activists like him are not similarly disadvantaged in future.