BHIMAKOREGAON VIOLENCE: ARREST EKBOTE, SAYS SC
NEWDELHI: The Maharashtra government was pulled up on Tuesday by the Supreme Court for not “doing enough” to arrest Bhima Koregaon violence accused, Milind Ekbote.
“Do your job. Arrest him, conduct investigations and then tell us.” a bench led by Justice Kurian Joseph remarked and sought a status report from the investigating officer.
The court clarified that its earlier order saying that in the event of his arrest, Ekbote should be released on bail upon furnishing a bond of ₹1 lakh did not restrain the state from arresting him. It rejected the government’s contention that Ekbote was not cooperating and had been absconding.
“Inspite of our order and his availability, you do not arrest him. There is no single attempt made to arrest him. Should we hold the investigation now,” the bench inquired.
The state’s counsel submitted that people were aggrieved by the accused. “His custodial interrogation was necessary. Police has to recover pamphlets from him,” the lawyer said, implying the court order was blocking its probe.
“Why do you think you can recover anything only if he is in custody? You conduct the investigation with his cooperation and tell us where he is not cooperating. We thought you would have arrested him by now. Arrest him and tell the world,” the judge said.