Elgar Parishad case: Bail pleas of six accused rejected

A sessions court here rejected the bail pleas of six accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case on Wednesday. Rona Wilson, Shoma Sen, Surendra Gadling, Mahesh Raut, Varavara Rao, and Sudhir Dhavle had filed the bail applications, arguing that the police had not produced any substantial evidence against them.

The prosecution opposed the pleas, saying there was material to show links between the accused and Maoists. According to Pune Police, inflammatory speeches delivered at the Elgar Parishad conclave held here on December 31, 2017, triggered caste violence at the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial in the district the next day (January 1, 2018).

The conclave had the backing of Maoists, the police claimed while arresting several Left-leaning activists and writers in the case in June and August of 2018. Meanwhile, activist Gautam Navlakha, another accused in the case who has not been arrested, has also moved the sessions court seeking anticipatory bail. The court will hear his plea on November 7.

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