Elgar Parishad case: Bombay HC adjourns hearing on petition seeking NIA probe to Sep 7

Mumbai, Sep 3: The Bombay High Court on Monday adjourned the petition demanding a NIA inquiry into the Elgar Parishad matter for September 7. The matter was adjourned because the copies of the petition were not served to all concerned persons, said reports.

The bench was hearing a petition filed on Friday by one Satish Gaikwad, who claims to be a victim of the Koregaon Bhima violence. He sought a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the case. Gaikwad urged the high court to restrain the Pune police from further probing the case, and stay the investigation.

Gaikwad in his petition also alleged that the Pune police were investigating the case unfairly and with malafide intentions, reported PTI.

The HC also pulled up Maharashtra police for holding a media briefing in connection with the case when the matter was sub-judice.

State Additional Director General (Law and Order) Parambir Singh along with the Pune police had addressed the media on the case on Friday (August 31). During the press conference, Singh had read out letters purportedly exchanged between the activists. He had claimed that the police had "conclusive proof" to link Left-wing activists arrested in June and last week to Maoists.

A division bench of Justices S S Shinde and Mridula Bhatkar questioned how the police could read out such documents which may be used as evidence in the case.

Meanwhile, a Pune court has granted the city police 90 days' extension to file its chargesheet against the arrest of five activists in connection with the the Bhima Koregaon violence. The police had filed an application on Saturday seeking such an extension.

The accused - Sudhir Dhawale, Surendra Gadling, Mahesh Raut, Shoma Sen and Rona Wilson - were produced before the court on Sunday. Police had arrested the five accused in June while probing the alleged Maoist connection to the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31 last year.

OneIndia News with PTI inputs