Bhima Koregaon case: Supreme Court stays Bombay HC order that refused to grant Pune police more time to file chargesheet

The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the Bombay High Court order that refused to grant more time to the Pune Police for filing the chargesheet against some activists arrested in connection with Bhima Koregaon case.

The Pune Police had on October Saturday sought a 14-day remand for accused activists Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves in the Bhima Koregaon violence that took place in January 2018.

The apex court also issued a notice to accused Gautam Navlakha in Maharashtra government’s plea challenging the Delhi High Court order of setting aside his transit remand and his release from house arrest.

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Public Prosecutor Ujwala Pawar, representing the Pune police, told the court, “We demand 14 days police remand for both the accused.” In response, the defence counsel, represented by Sidharth Patil, said, “As per Supreme Courtorder, the house arrest was supposed to end on 26th Oct and time limit by SC ends at 12 midnight, hence contempt of honourable court was committed (by Police)”.

Earlier, a local court in Pune rejected the bail applications of human rights activists Sudha Bharadwaj, Gonsalves and Ferreira . All the activists are currently under house arrest in relation to an FIR filed by the Maharashtra Police for alleged Maoist links in the Bhima-Koregaon violence which took place on January 1, 2018.

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In addition to the three, activists Varavara Rao and Gautam Navalakha have also been arrested in Hyderabad and New Delhi respectively for their Maoist links related to the violence in Bhima Koregaon.

On January 1, lakhs of people had gathered in the area to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Bhima Koregaon. Many Dalit and Bahujan groups collectively organised a public conference in the name of Elgar Parishad at Shaniwar Wada. The agenda of this conference was evidently against Hindutva politics as this was done by showing Hindutva politics in the form of neo-peshwai (new Peshwas). Jignesh Mevani and Prakash Ambedkar were invited.