A day after the Maharashtra government agreed in principle to let the NIA take over investigations into the the 2018 Bhima Koregaon-Elgar Parishad case, a Pune Sessions Court on Friday ordered that all the records relating to the case be transferred to the Special NIA (National Investigation Agency) court in Mumbai.
Pune Sessions Court’s Special judge SR Navandar ruled that though the Maharashtra Government had not made a formal submission that it had no objection to the NIA taking over the case, his court did not have powers to continue with the case.
The Judge directed all accused to be present before the NIA court in Mumbai on February 28.
The investigations handed over to the NIA relate to the cases registered against 23 activists in connection with the violence that erupted on January 1, 2018 at a gathering of thousands of Dalits at Bhima-Koregaon in Pune district who were celebrating 200th anniversary of
January 1, 1818 victory of British troops over Peshwa Bajirao at Bhima Koregaon in Pune district, and the provocative speeches delivered by the activists at an Elgaar Parishad held in Pune on December 31, 2017, a day before the celebrations at Bhima Koregaon.
Nine of the accused hare been booked for their alleged links with the CPI-Maoist links.
It may be recalled that the police had arrested ten CPI (Maoist) activists in two batches in connection with the Elgar Parishad-cum- Bhima-Koregaon riots case. They were among the 15 activists against whom the police had registered cases. The five are still absconding.
The activists against whom charge-sheets have been filed for serious offences are: Sudhir P. Dhawale, Rona J. Wilson, Surendra P. Gadling, Shoma Sen, Mahesh S. Raut, Varavara Rao, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Pereira, Sudha Bharadwaj and Gautam Navlakha.
They have been booked for their association with the Elgaar Parishad held in Pune a day ahead of the January 1, 2018 Bhima-Koregaon riots and their alleged links with the Maoists.
All of them have been booked for serious offences under unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), 117 ( abetting commission of offence), 120-b ( conspiracy) read with 34 (common intention), 121, 121 (A) (Waging or attempting to wage a war, or abetting waging of war, against the Government of India) 124A (sedition), 153 –A (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot..) and 505-1b (statements conducing public mischief) of Indian Penal Code (IPC).\
Among other things, they have been charged with involvement in a conspiracy to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi and overthrow the democratically elected government in the country.