Bombay high court to hear bail plea of 2 activists accused in Bhima Koregaon violence

The hearing on the bail applications of activist Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira – arrested in connection with the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence – has been adjourned to April 16

The hearing on the bail applications of activist Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira – arrested in connection with the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence – has been adjourned to April 16, after the Bombay high court (HC), on Friday, said it would hear all matters pertaining to the incident together.

Arun Ferreira (in Grey), a human rights activist and lawyer was been arrested by Pune police in January 2018, in connection with caste-related violence erupting at Bhima-Koregaon near Pune. (HT PHOTO)

The court will also hear the anticipatory bail application of Professor Anand Teltumbde – accused of inciting the violence – on April 16.

When the bail applications of Gonsalves and Ferriera came up for hearing before the bench of justice PN Deshmukh, special public prosecutor Aruna Pai submitted that the two accused were senior members of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) group. Pai further said that the two had played a vital role in inciting various Dalit groups during the Elgar Parishad on December 30, 2017, in Pune, which led to the violence and hence their bail applications should be rejected.

She referred to the affidavit filed by assistant commissioner of police Shivaji Pawar of Pune Police, which stated that Ferreira was part of a larger conspiracy – topple a democratically-elected government – and hence his application should be rejected.