Activists held in June move SC seeking bail

New Delhi: Five accused who were arrested by the Pune police in June this year in the Bhima Koregaon violence on Friday moved the Supreme Court seeking their release on bail on the ground that they are in custody in the same FIR.

Minal Surendra Gadling, wife of Gadling sought bail for her husband and four others, viz. Dr Soma Sen, Mahesh Raut, Rona Wilson and Sudhir Dhavale arrested by the Pune police in June. They said their arrest has demonstrated to this court the manner in which dissent in our country has been suppressed.

They said the present petition arose out of the arbitrary arrests of activists and lawyers from various parts of the country, under the guise of fighting fictitious urban naxals. They recalled that the apex court by an interim order on August 29 had put those arrested under house arrest.

The petitioners said they are similarly placed and booked under the same crime without there bring any credible evidence. All the five are being incarcerated for their dissent against the government, they said and prayed for their release on bail. The matter is expected to be taken up for hearing on September 6 along with the main petition filed by Dr Romila Thapar, Devaki Jain, Prabhat Pattnaik, Satish Deshpande and Maja Daruwala.