Three more accused, including activist Navlakha, seek discharge in Elgar case

Activists Gautam Navlakha Sudha Bharadwaj and Delhi University professor Hany Babu all accused in the Elgar ParishadMaoist links case on Tuesday moved discharge applications before the special National Investigation Agency NIA courtThe trio filed separate applications before special judge Rajesh J Katariya through their advocate Yug ChaudhryChaudhry claimed the case against his clients was completely bogus made up of a stack of inadmissible evidence consisting of innuendos rumours and shadowsThere was no evidence worth the name he maintainedIt is indeed sad that such eminent people have to stay in jail for so long only because of the draconian nature of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act UAPA the antiterror law under which they have been booked the lawyer addedWhile Navlakha and Babu are currently in jail under judicial custody Bharadwaj is out on bail Meanwhile the court on Tuesday heard the arguments on the discharge plea of another accused Sudhir Dhawale The arguments will continue on WednesdayAlso Read SC issues notices to NIA Maharashtra govt on activist Gautam Navlakhas plea for house arrestThe judge said as per an order passed by the Supreme Court the special court is required to frame charges against the accused and decide on the pending discharge applications within three months from the order dated August 18The discharge pleas of some other accused Jyoti Jagtap Anand Teltumbde and Mahesh Raut were also pending before the courtMore than a dozen activists and academicians have been named as accused in the caseThe case relates to alleged inflammatory speeches made at the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31 2017 which the police claimed triggered violence the next day near the KoregaonBhima war memorial on the outskirts of the western Maharashtra cityThe Pune Police had also claimed the conclave was organised by people with alleged Maoist linksAn FIR was lodged by the Pune Police on January 8 2018 under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities Prevention ActThe NIA later took over the probe into the matterDischarge is a legal remedy available to an accused who thinks false allegations have been made against him If evidence presented before the court concerned is not sufficient to prove the offence and in the absence of any prima facie case against him he is entitled to be dischargedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever