Bail Granted in High-Profile Elgar Parishad Case: A Turning Point

The Bombay High Court has granted bail to researcher Rona Wilson and activist Sudhir Dhawale, both involved in the Elgar Parishad case since 2018. Despite the lack of trial progress, their release is seen as pivotal amidst ongoing tensions. They must appear before the special NIA court for proceedings.

The Bombay High Court granted bail on Wednesday to researcher Rona Wilson and activist Sudhir Dhawale, both arrested in the high-profile Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case in 2018.

The division bench, comprising Justices A S Gadkari and Kamal Khata, emphasized the long period of incarceration faced by the accused without a trial date in sight. Lawyers Mihir Desai and Sudeep Pasbola highlighted this in their defense, pointing out that charges have yet to be framed.

While the high court refrained from examining the case's merits at this point, it ordered Wilson and Dhawale to secure a surety of one lakh rupees each and attend trial hearings at the special NIA court. The Elgar Parishad case involves alleged incendiary speeches leading to violence, with over 300 witnesses due to feature in a trial that still shows no sign of concluding soon.

(With inputs from agencies.)