Bhima Koregaon case – No coercive action against 2 activists: Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday extended the relief by a day from arrest granted to civil rights activist Gautam Navlakha, professor Anand Teltumbde and priest Stan Swamy in a case against them over the Koregaon-Bhima violence and alleged links with Maoists. The court has till then restrained the police from taking any coercieve action against them.

Additional Public Prosecutor Aruna Pai Kamath informed the court that she was ready to argue the case and accordingly sought and early hearing. Today, a bench of Justices B P Dharamadhikari and Sarang Kotwal will hear the petitions filed by the three activists, challenging the FIR registered against them by police in connection with the Elgar Parishad event held in 2017.

The FIR claimed that police seized documents and emails exchanged between the accused which allegedly revealed their links with Maoist leaders and their roles in facilitating supply of weapons and funding.

On June 6, the police had arrested activist Rona Wilson, Nagpur-based lawyer Surendra Gadling, Nagpur University professor Shoma Sen, former Prime Minister Rural Development fellow Mahesh Raut and activist Sudhir Dhawale in connection with the case.

Were initially put under house arrest on directions of the Supreme Court. However, all of them except Navlakha were re-arrested and taken into custody by police recently. 

Navlakha was released by the Delhi High Court, after which he moved the Bombay High Court seeking to quash the FIR against him. Teltumbde and Swamy are yet to be arrested in the case.