New Delhi | The Supreme Court on Wednesday extended the house arrest of the five activists till arrested in links with Maoist groups until the next hearing in the case which is scheduled on September 17.
The Supreme Court today heard the petition of historian Romila Thapar and four other against the arrest of five activists arrested by the Pune police. Rejecting the media reports the Pune Police had informed the Supreme Court that the arrests had nothing to do with the activists’ dissenting opinion or difference in their political or other ideologies but was because of “serious criminal offences” and incriminating material.
The police further informed the Apex Court, “The contents also clearly reflect the preparation, planning and coordination…to carry out a violence, planned ambush/rebellion against the ‘enemy’ (which is our country and its security forces)”
Opposing the house arrest of the activists in the top court the Pune Police said ,”substantial damage must have been done by the accused while in house arrest to influence the investigation.”
The Pune police on August 29 during raids at various parts of the country arrested Sudha Bharadwaj, Gautam Navlakha, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, and P Varavara Rao in connection with the Bhima Koregaon violence in January. The police had alleged the arrested activists have links with the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist).
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