Arrest of activists: HC raps police for revealing evidence
The Bombay high court on Monday pulled up Maharashtra police for holding a press conference and revealing information pertaining to the five Left- wing activists arrested in connection with the BhimaKoregaon violence last week.
“How can an investigation officer reveal investigation details when the matter is sub judice in the Supreme Court? Revealing information pertaining to the case is wrong”, Justice Shinde and Justice Bhatkar of the Bombay high court said, and asked how can police read out documents which may be used as evidence in the case.
State additional director general ( law and order) Parambir Singh along with the Pune police had addressed the media on the case on Friday. During the press conference, Mr Singh had read out letters purportedly exchanged between the activists. He claimed that the police had “conclusive proof” to link Left- wing activists arrested in June and last week to Maoists.
Public prosecutor Deepak Thakare told the judges that he would speak with the police officials concerned and seek their response.
The bench was hearing a petition filed on Friday by one Satish Gaikwad, who claims to be a victim of the Koregaon Bhima violence. He sought a probe by the National Investigation Agency ( NIA) in the case.
Mr Gaikwad urged the
high court to restrain the Pune police from further probing the case, and stay the investigation. Mr Gaikwad in his petition also alleged that the Pune police were investigating the case unfairly and with malafide intentions.
“It is unfortunate that the Pune police have arrested intellectual persons of society, who are social rights activists, advocates, human rights activists, poets, writers and other respectable persons,” he said in the petition. Police had arrested activists Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson, Surendra Gadling, Shoma Sen and Mahesh Raut in June while probing the alleged Maoist connection with the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31 last year.
Last Tuesday, police arrested five more Leftwing activists — Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Ferreira, Varavara Rao, Sudha Bharadwaj and Gautam Navalakha — from different places in the country.