Bhima-Koregaon case: Bombay HC adjourns pleas of activists till December 14

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Thursday heard petitions filed by activist Gautam Navlakha, Professor Anand Teltumbde and priest Stan Swami challenging an FIR filed against them in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case.

During argument on the application filed by Navlakha seeking quashing of his name from the chargesheet, the public prosecutor told the High Court that they have enough materials as evidence and reason for not quashing his name.

The court slammed the public prosecutor, asking her to bring all the relevant materials which they want to produce before the court by December 4.

In August, police arrested five left-wing activists, after raiding their homes in several states for suspected Maoist links over the Elgar Parishad meeting which was held a day before the violence.

The police raided the homes of the activists and lawyers from five states - Varavara Rao in Hyderabad, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira in Mumbai, Bharadwaj in Faridabad and Gautam Navalakha in Delhi. 

They were arrested in connection with an FIR lodged following a conclave - 'Elgaar Parishad' - held on December 31 last year that had allegedly triggered violence at Koregaon-Bhima village near Pune on January 1.

All arrested five activists - Varavara Rao, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, Sudha Bharadwaj and Navlakha - were put under house arrest on August 29 following an apex court order.

The police have claimed that all the five have links with Maoists.