Court to hear bail pleas of 3 activists on Saturday

PUNE: The state prosecution on Wednesday sought time for filing its say to oppose the bail pleas of activists Sudhir Dhawale, Mahesh Raut and Rona Wilson in the Elgar Parishad case, prompting the special court to post their hearing to November 17.
Dhawale is associated with the Kabir Kala Manch, a Left-leaning cultural organization behind the organization of the Elgar Parishad in Pune on December 31, 2017.Raut is a former PMRD fellow from Nagpur, while Wilson is a Delhi-based human rights activist.
The court directed the prosecution to submit the report of the Yerawada central jail on the medical condition of Raut on Friday after his lawyer Shahid Akhtar submitted that he was suffering from an ailment and required to be taken to Sassoon General Hospital for treatment under a police escort.
Dhawale, Raut and Wilson were among the five persons arrested on June 6 for their alleged links with the CPI (Maoist) during simultaneous search and seizure operation by the Pune police at Mumbai, Nagpur and Delhi among other places. Surendra Gadling and Shoma Sen were also arrested.
The court rejected Sen’s bail plea. Arguments on Gadling’s bail plea are in final stages and is due for hearing on Thursday.
It is the police’s case that the Maoists funded the Elgar Parishad and the alleged provocative speeches in the Parishad contributed to the January 1 caste clashes in Koregaon Bhima.