Bhima-Koregaon case:Petitioners urge SC to direct independent probe into arrest of human rights activists

Historian Romila Thapar and four others today moved the Supreme Court against the arrest of five Left-wing activists by the Maharashtra Police yesterday in connection with the Bhima Koregaon violence.  The five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra agreed to give an urgent hearing today at 3:45 PM. 

The petition has sought the independent probe into the arrests and also release of all the arrested activists.  These arrests are linked to a public meeting organised days before caste-related violence erupted at Bhima Koregaon near Pune on 01st January this year. 

The Pune police has been investigating the circumstances that led to violence at Bhima Koregaon in which one person died during the clashes. 

The Delhi High Court said it will hear at 2:15 pm today the plea of  Left-wing activist Gautam Navlakha who was arrested yesterday for alleged unlawful activities. The court had yesterday



directed that Navlakha should not be taken away from Delhi till it hears the matter as specific allegations against him were unclear as the documents were in Marathi. The Maharashtra Police wanted to take Navlakha to Pune in connection with the Bhima Koregaon violence.

A bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel was informed by Additional Solicitor General Aman Lekhi, appearing for Maharashtra Police, that the documents to be translated from Marathi to English will be provided to Navlakha's counsel positively by 12 noon today. The court had said that for the time being Navlakha will be confined to his residence here under the guard of Delhi Police officers and he will be allowed to only meet or speak to his lawyers. Navlakha was arrested yesterday following several raids after which his transit remand was secured from Saket district court to take him to Pune. This order, however, was stayed by the high court.