The Bombay High Court on Wednesday granted bail to researcher Rona Wilson and activist Sudhir Dhawale in connection with the Elgar Parishad case, which has been a subject of controversy and legal battles for several years. Both individuals were arrested in 2018 in relation to the case, which involves provocative speeches allegedly made during the Elgar Parishad event held in Pune on December 31, 2017.
The court’s decision to grant bail came after a division bench of Justices A.S. Gadkari and Kamal Khata noted the lengthy period of their incarceration and the fact that the trial is unlikely to conclude anytime soon. Both Wilson and Dhawale have been in custody since their arrests in 2018, and defense lawyers argued that the prolonged detention without charges being framed was unjustifiable. Their counsel, Mihir Desai and Sudeep Pasbola, highlighted the fact that the case had not yet proceeded to the framing of charges by the special court.
In granting bail, the court instructed the accused to submit a surety of ₹1 lakh each and appear before the special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court for future hearings. The bench made it clear that the ruling was not a judgment on the merits of the case and emphasized the complexity of the trial, noting that over 300 witnesses are involved, which could significantly delay proceedings.
The case centers around the Elgar Parishad conclave, where inflammatory speeches were allegedly made, leading to violence the following day at Koregaon-Bhima in Pune district. The Pune police initially claimed the event was backed by Maoist groups, and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) later took over the investigation. Of the 16 people arrested in connection with the case, several have been granted bail, while others, including Wilson and Dhawale, have spent years in custody without trial.
Rona Wilson was arrested in June 2018 at his home in Delhi and was accused by authorities of being a high-ranking member of urban Maoist networks. Sudhir Dhawale, also arrested in 2018, was accused of being an active member of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist).
This development marks a significant moment in the ongoing legal proceedings, as Wilson and Dhawale now await the trial to unfold in the coming months.
Sources By Agencies
