Mumbai: The Bombay high court on Monday came down heavily on the Maharashtra Police for disclosing the evidence it claims to have against activists arrested in connection with the BhimaKoregaon case during a press conference last week. During the hearing of a petition, the court said how can the police hold a press conference when the case is subjudice. “How can the police do this? The matter is sub judice. The Supreme Court is seized of the matter. In such cases revealing information pertaining to the case is wrong,” said Justice Mridula Bhatkar.
The high court was hearing a petition filed by one Satish Gaikwad, who claims to be a victim of the Bhima Koregaon violence.
Mr Gaikwad told the court that the police on one hand wants an in-camera hearing while on the other is reading out evidence in the form of the activists’ letters in public.
The petitioner wants the case to be handed over to the National Investigative Agency (NIA).
Facing criticism on the raids and arrests targeting rights activists, the Maharashtra police had claimed that it had solid evidence, including “thousands of documents and letters” that established the activists’ links to Maoists and their role in facilitating weapons and funding.
The activists, who were arrested on August 28, are poet and Maoist ideologue Varavara Rao, lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj, activists Arun Fereira, Gautam Navlakha and Vernon Gonsalves. They have been put are under house arrest on the orders of the Supreme Court till September 6.
