#BhimaKoregaon: SC stays HC-order refusing extension of time for charge-sheet
The Supreme Court today stayed the Bombay High Court order refusing extension of time to the Maharashtra Police for filing charge sheet in the Koregaon-Bhima violence case. The Bombay High Court on October 25 (Wednesday) had set aside the lower court's order allowing extension of time to police to file its probe report against the rights activists in the violence case.
SC had earlier declined a SIT probe into activists' arrest
Taking note of the appeal of the Maharashtra government, a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi stayed the HC order and issued a notice to rights activists on the plea. Earlier, the SC had refused to interfere in the arrest of five rights activists by the Maharashtra Police and declined to appoint a SIT for a probe into their arrest.
Police arrested prominent lawyers, activists for their alleged Maoist links
The Pune Police had arrested lawyer Surendra Gadling, Nagpur University professor Shoma Sen, Dalit activist Sudhir Dhawale, activist Mahesh Raut and Kerala native Rona Wilson in June for their alleged links with Maoists under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Police had arrested five other activists in August
The arrests had followed raids at the activists' residences and offices in connection with the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017, which, the police claimed, had led to violence at Bhima Koregaon the next day. In August, Pune Police arrested five other activists- Varavara Rao, Arun Ferreira, Sudha Bharadwaj, Vernon Gonzalves, and Gautam Navalakha for allegedly having links to Maoists.
