Bombay High Court Grants Bail to Two Accused After Long Incarceration
The Bombay High Court has granted bail to two activists after they spent over six years in jail without trial
Bombay, India, Rona Wilson, Sudhir Dhawale, Elgar Parishad, Maoist Links
The judges, Justices A S Gadkari and Kamal Khata, pointed out that they’ve been under-trial prisoners for over six years. That’s a long time to wait without a trial! The court noted that the prosecution has a whopping 300 witnesses lined up, which means the trial could take ages to wrap up.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) didn’t even ask for a stay on the bail order. The defense lawyers argued that it was unfair for the two to be locked up for so long without a proper trial.
While the court didn’t dive into the details of the case, they did say that Wilson and Dhawale need to submit a surety of one lakh rupees each. They also have to check in with the special NIA court for the trial and can’t leave the city until it’s all over.
Rona Wilson was arrested back in June 2018 at his home in Delhi, and he was labeled as a key figure among urban Maoists. Sudhir Dhawale was accused of being part of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist).
They’re not alone in this; 14 other activists were also arrested in the same case. So far, eight of them have been granted bail. One of the accused, Stan Swamy, sadly passed away in 2021 while still in prison.
This case is tied to some controversial speeches made at the Elgar Parishad event in Pune back in December 2017, which allegedly led to violence the next day. The police claimed that the event had Maoist backing, and the NIA later took over the investigation.