Latest news with #ElgarParishad
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Elgar Parishad case accused under scrutiny after attending Veera Sathidar memorial
Nagpur: The Elgar Parishad case accused, who are out on bail, had thronged the Veera Sathidar memorial event at Vidarbha Hindi Sahitya Sammelan on May 13, top security sources told TOI. Though the event was organised as a memorial for the acclaimed filmmaker, security agency sources stated it turned into a platform for attacking the Maharashtra govt's efforts to table the proposed Maharashtra Public Security Bill to rein in frontal organisations of alleged urban Maoists. The speakers at the programme incited the audience to vehemently oppose the proposed law before it's tabled in the forthcoming monsoon assembly. "We held demonstrations against the proposed bill at 80 places in 36 districts of Maharashtra," said one of the speakers. Activists like Sudhir Dhawale and former Nagpur University professor Soma Sen, who are out on bail in the Elgar Parishad case, participated in the event, said a top source in the security apparatus that watched participants at the programme. Apart from Koregaon Bhima, Dhawale has other cases against him related to anti-govt activities, said a police official. Sen was present with her husband, Tushar Kant Bhattacharya, a former Maoist who was arrested with a cache of arms from Patna in 2007. Again, he was arrested by Gujarat ATS from Geetanjali Express for a case registered in the state, a decade ago. Senior police officers said they are now trying to zero in on Dhawale, Suvarna Salve, her sister Shrusti, and others who were present at the programme to record statements and initiate other action. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo According to a senior police officer, efforts would now be made to cancel the bail of the Elgar Parishad case accused who attended the programme, where tactics to corner govt were discussed. "We will soon take up the matter with the investigation agency and push for cancellation of their bail," said the senior officer. On Wednesday, Pushpa Sathidar, wife of the acclaimed late leftist filmmaker and actor Veera Sathidar, appeared before Sitabuldi police station on Wednesday to record her statement. She claimed she was an ordinary "anganwadi" worker and did not know about the participants. Police had invoked BNS Section 152 against Pushpa, another woman who rendered Faiz Ahmed Faiz's anti-establishment couplets "Hum Dekhenge" and another orator who had hailed the couplet as an inspiration to overthrow a tyrannical regime. Inspector Rakhi Gedam of Sitabuldi police station said Pushpa was sent back after recording her statement. "We may need to summon her again for questioning," said Gedam. Sources in security agencies present at the memorial programme said an activist from "Samata Kala Manch", Suvarna, rendered the Urdu couplet of Faiz, which was subsequently lauded in his speech by one Siddharth. The complainant, Dattatreya Shirke, stated he was not against Faiz's poem but opposed the comments against govt. Police are now intensifying their probe into the event's organisers and participants, suspecting a coordinated effort to undermine the state. As the investigation unfolds, the focus remains on whether the Veera Sathidar memorial was exploited to further an anti-govt agenda instead of focusing on his legacy.
Time of India
29-04-2025
- Time of India
Navlakha cites cash crunch & ailing sister, seeks court nod for permanent Delhi stay
MUMBAI: Citing financial strain , unemployment and an ailing 86-year-old sister, journalist Gautam Navlakha , an accused in the Elgar Parishad case , recently filed a plea before the special NIA court seeking permission to permanently reside in Delhi. Navlakha who was initially granted bail in 2023 but released from custody in 2024, currently lives in Bandra West. The plea said that the 72-year-old and his partner, Sahba Hussain, 73, are permanent residents of Delhi, where they have their home, employment, and social connections. "Over time, it has become uneconomical and burdensome for him to cope with the increasing finances. He has been struggling to meet up with the basic necessities such as house rent, bread and butter, travel, etc. Both of them are surviving out of their savings," the plea submitted through advocate Wahab Khan said. Navlakha was initially arrested in Delhi on April 14, 2020, and has been living in Mumbai since his release. The court directed the NIA to submit its reply. The plea said that Navlakha and Hussain had struggled to find accommodation in Mumbai for about four months due to his pending case. "Prior to his arrest, the applicant-accused was an eminent journalist based in Delhi. During his stay in Mumbai, the applicant-accused has been unemployed and financially dependent on friends and family to date. With time, it has become extremely difficult for him to sustain a stable lifestyle in Mumbai," the plea said. It cited Navlakha's pending personal matters in Delhi and his familiarity with the area and the city. "The applicant-accused has a long-pending trial to face which requires finances. Hence, it is crucial for him to be employed and financially stable," the petition said. Through the plea, Navlakha also assured the court he will report to the nearest police station in Delhi. "The applicant-accused shall make himself available to the investigating officer as and when required. The applicant-accused undertakes that he will make himself available and present before as and when that his absence will not cause any delay in trial or any sort of further investigation," the petition said. The NIA has alleged the Dec 31, 2017, Elgar Parishad at Shaniwarwada, Pune, was funded by Kabir Kala Manch activists and allegedly provocative speeches were made that promoted enmity between groups that eventually led to violence the following day at Bhima Koregaon.
Indian Express
29-04-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Elgar Parishad case: Navlakha files application in court seeking permission to stay in Delhi
CITING expenses and increasing finances in Mumbai, activist-journalist Gautam Navlakha, who was granted bail in the Elgar Parishad case in May 2024, has sought permission to reside in Delhi. In an application filed before the special court in Mumbai, 72-year-old Navlakha has sought relaxation in one of his bail conditions, which directed him to not leave the jurisdiction of the Mumbai court without the court's permission. 'Prior to his arrest, the applicant-accused was an eminent journalist based in Delhi. During his stay in Mumbai, the applicant-accused has been unemployed and financially dependent on friends and family to date. With time, it has become extremely difficult for him to sustain a stable lifestyle in Mumbai,' the plea states, adding that overtime it has become 'uneconomical and burdensome' for him to cope with the increasing finances with a struggle to meet up with basic necessities such as 'house rent, bread and butter, travel, etc', as he and his 73-year-old partner, Sahba, are surviving out of their savings. Navlakha was arrested on April 14, 2020 by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and granted bail by the Bombay High Court on December 19, 2023, which was confirmed by the Supreme Court in May 2024, following which he was released. The Indian Express had reported in July 2024 that Navlakha and his partner, Sahba, who resides with him, were finding it difficult to find accommodation in Mumbai, due to the pending case. The plea filed on April 21 states that they struggled to find a place to rent for about four months. The application, filed before the court through lawyers Wahab Khan and Shifa Khan, last week, also states that previously he was permitted to travel to Delhi in November 2024 by the Mumbai court for two months with various conditions, which he had abided by. 'The applicant-accused has a long pending trial to face which requires finances. Hence, it is crucial for him to be employed and financially stable,' the plea said. It says that he undertakes to make himself available and present before the court and the investigating officer as and when required, and to ensure that his absence will not cause any delay in trial. The plea also said that his 86-year-old sister lives in Delhi and is in frail health and he wishes to reside in the same vicinity as her. The plea also states that Navlakha undertakes to not leave the jurisdiction of Delhi without prior permission of the court, except to return to Mumbai. The special court has directed the NIA to file a reply to the plea. Navlakha and 15 others were arrested in the Elgaar Parishad case where the NIA claims that the accused had links with banned organisation CPI (Maoist). The trial in the case is yet to begin. Previously, co-accused Telugu poet Varavara Rao had also similarly sought permission to live in Telangana, citing high cost of living in Mumbai. While he was permitted to travel for medical reasons, his plea for permanently moving out of Mumbai was rejected.
