Elgar Parishad case: Court refuses bail to two activists

The special court has refused to grant bail to social activists Shoma Sen, 61, and P Varavara Rao, 80, accused in the Elgar Parishad case.

The special court has refused to grant bail to social activists Shoma Sen, 61, and P Varavara Rao, 80, accused in the Elgar Parishad case.

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The two had sought interim bail from the special court citing spread of coronavirus and claimed that they might suffer health issues in jail considering their age.

On Tuesday, the court rejected the bail plea, observing that the accused are booked under the provisions of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) along with other provisions. As per the directions of high power committee, the accused booked under the UAPA are excluded from category of the undertrials and prisoners for granting of bail.

The two had moved bail plea on Monday and pleaded that they suffer from several ailments. “The applicant (Sen) is 61 and suffers from multiple ailments such as osteoarthritis, glaucoma and high blood pressure and is vulnerable to such diseases as of the present coronavirus that spreads rampantly,” reads Sen’s bail plea.

Rao claimed that the elderly people are more vulnerable to the virus.

The plea was opposed by the special public prosecutor Prakash Shetty, pleading that their previous pleas were rejected and there is no new ground for bail available to them. Shetty had also pleaded that the accused are booked under UAPA and procedure for bail is different for them.

The court considered the objections raised by the prosecution and rejected their plea for interim bail.

The case relates to alleged inflammatory speeches delivered at the Elgar Parishad conclave, held at Shaniwarwada in Pune on December 31, 2017, which police claimed triggered violence near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial in the district the next day. Pune police claimed the conclave was backed by Maoists.