Days after the NIA took over probe into the matter, all the nine accused in the Elgaar Parishad cases following the violence in Bhima Koregaon in 2018 were produced in Mumbai before a special National Investigation Agency court on Friday.
The NIA counsel briefed special judge D.E. Kothalikar about the case and said a charge sheet has been filed and interim applications of some of the accused were pending. One of the accused, Arun Ferreira told the court that Arthur Road jail authorities are saying there is no space inside and are not allowing them to keep their books and charge sheets of the case.
The judge said he will pass an appropriate order and March 13 and adjourned the matter. The court also said that the accused will hereby be produced via video conferencing.
The nine accused in the case are Advocates Surendra Gadling and Sudha Bharadwaj; writer Sudhir Dhawale; Mahesh Raut who works with tribals; professor Shoma Sen; activists Rona Wilson, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves; and poet Varavara Rao. Five of them were arrested on June 6, 2018, the others on August 28, 2018.
So far the court proceedings were held in Pune. On February 14, the case was transferred to the NIA court in Mumbai. The accused who were lodged at the Yerwada central jail in Pune were transferred to Mumbai on Wednesday. While the men have been lodged at Arthur Road jail, the women are in Byculla prison.
On January 8, 2018, a FIR was lodged with the Pune police against the organisers of the Elgaar Parishad for making provocative speeches that led to riots at Bhima-Koregoan on January 1, 2018.
