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2 arrested activists recruited JNU, TISS students for Maoist activities: Pune police

Ferreira and Gonsalves have been accused for recruiting young professionals from Jawaharlal Nehru University and Tata Institute of Social Sciences to indulge in Maoist activity.

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The Pune police on Saturday told a local court that activists Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves were part of a larger conspiracy that ‘threatened the sovereignty and integrity of the country.’

Ferreira and Gonsalves have been accused for recruiting young professionals from Jawaharlal Nehru University and Tata Institute of Social Sciences to indulge in Maoist activity.

While speaking to the court, the prosecution requested that the two activists be remanded in 14 days of police custody.

While making the case before district and sessions judge KD Vadane, lawyer Ujjawala Pawar stated that the Pune police had seized incriminating documents from the accused.  “The material seized from these accused clearly reveals that they were actively involved in recruiting young professionals from institutes like TISS and JNU. After recruiting them, these accused had sent these new recruits to interior parts to maoists activities," Pawar said.

The prosecution also argued that the call detail records (CDR) accused revealed that the duo were in constant touch with members of the CPI(M), which has been banned by the Indian government. “The seized materials reveal that  they were not only in touch with the Maoists, but also aiding them financially,” Pawar said.

The prosecution told the court that the police required to investigate the identity and whereabouts of the new Maoist recruits. “The investigating team also needs to investigate about where the funds were utilised by these accused which they had received from Maoists operatives," Pawar stated.

Defence lawyer Rahul Deshmukh, who represented Gonsalves, however, argued that the police had already seized the documents. “The police in the remand report have not mentioned that they need to recover anything from the accused. The documents which are already being seized are in the custody of the police for nearly two months, hence the police custody is not required," Deshmukh said.

Siddharth Patil representing Ferreira argued that the Supreme Court had given the order of house arrest for the accused for four weeks which was valid till midnight of October 26. However, before the expiry of the house arrest period, the police took custody of the accused which is contempt of the court.

However, the duo has been remanded in police custody till November 6. Meanwhile, the defence has said that they will approach the Bombay High Court.

SC rejects Romila Thapar’s plea

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has dismissed a plea filed by historian Romila Thapar seeking a review of the September 28 majority verdict by which the apex court had refused immediate release of five rights activists held in connection with the Koregaon-Bhima violence case.

A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud dismissed the plea on Friday.

The order, however, was uploaded on Saturday.

"We have perused the review petition as well as the grounds in support thereof. In our opinion, no case for review of judgment dated September 28, 2018 is made out. The review petition is accordingly dismissed," the bench said.

On September 28, the court rejected a plea for immediate release of the five rights activists Varavara Rao, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, Sudha Bharadwaj and Gautam Navlakha  arrested by the Maharashtra police on August 28.

The activists were arrested in connection with an FIR filed following a conclave  'Elgaar Parishad' held on December 31 last year that had allegedly triggered violence later at Koregaon-Bhima village in Maharashtra.

They were put under house arrest on August 29.

On September 28, the court said the accused will remain under house arrest for four more weeks. By a majority verdict of 2:1, it had also refused to appoint an SIT to probe their arrest.

With PTI Inputs

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