9th January, Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday made a significant decision by granting bail to Delhi-based researcher Rona Wilson and activist Sudhir Dhawale. Both were arrested in 2018 as part of the Elgar Parishad-Maoist case. A division bench of Justices A S Gadkari and Kamal Khata granted bail on a surety of 1 lakh rupees each, citing the prolonged incarceration of over six years as under-trial prisoners and the timelines of the trial.
The court took note of the fact that the trial had not begun yet, as the charges were still to be framed. The prosecution has cited as many as three hundred witnesses for the trial making a prompt conclusion of the trial unlikely. “They have been in jail since 2018. Even the charges in the case are yet to be framed,” the bench said while allowing the bail application.
In terms of the conditions of the bail reinstated by the High Court, Wilson and Dhawale are to surrender their passports to the authorities, should remain within the jurisdiction of the city until the trial is finalized, and regularly attend the special NIA court until summons is issued.
Elgar Parishad’s case includes allegations that suggest the made speeches at a function held in Pune in 2017 caused violence at Bhima Koregaon the very next day while also being accused of having links with some Maoist groups.
The news about Wilson and Dhawale being granted bail is a big relief for the accused who were continuously denying the claims and said that the evidence against them was fabricated.
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