Elgar Parishad case: Sealed envelope submitted to court against activist Anand Teltumbde

MUMBAI: A prosecutor on Wednesday submitted a sealed envelope containing material against civil rights activist Anand Teltumbde to argue for his arrest in the

Elgar Parishad case

.


Additional public prosecutor Aruna Pai contended that he was part of a “frontal organisation of the banned CPI (Maoist)” and was also recruiting members and was present in Pune on the day of the Elgar Parishad. His counsel, Mihir Desai, who earlier argued how there was no evidence against Teltumbde, beside alleged recovery of a letter from the computer of a co-accused, said contents of the document make out no case, even if the existence of the document was proved.

Desai also said that Teltumbde was present in Pune for a wedding and no case was made out that he was present at the Elgar Parishad or that he gave any speech at the parishad.

Justice P D Naik is hearing pre-arrest bail pleas by Teltumbde and Delhibased co-accused Gautam Navlakha. Both were granted interim protection earlier by HC.

Pai said information in the sealed cover was only to assist the court in deciding the application. She said his arrest and custody was essential and cited Supreme Court orders for cases under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, which deals with terror offences.

Teltumbde, through speeches and recruitment drives under the garb of these frontal organisations, was promoting CPI(M) ideology, and hence his custodial interrogation was required to get to the root of the conspiracy that went beyond Elgar Parishad, she argued. Pune’s Vishrambaug police had on January 8, 2018, registered an FIR in the Elgar Parishad case based on a complaint by Tushar Damgude, who said he was into real estate.

The HC will hear the prosecution on Navlakha on Monday.

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