Maoist links: Pune court rejects bail pleas of three activists

Pune: A court in Pune Friday rejected the bail applications of activists Sudha Bharadwaj, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira, who were arrested for their alleged Maoist links.

The Pune Police had arrested these three activists along with two others – poet P Varavara Rao and Gautam Navlakha — on August 28 in connection with the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, which allegedly triggered violence at Koregaon Bhima the next day.

Police alleged that some of the backers of the conclave had Maoist links.

District and Sessions Judge (Special Judge) K D Vadane rejected the bail applications of Bharadwaj, Gonsalves and Ferreira.

The prosecution, while opposing the bail applications, had argued that they have “corroborative evidence” against the accused to prove their involvement in Maoist activities, such as mobilising cadres, recruiting students from eminent institutes and sending them to the interior to become “professional revolutionaries”, raise funds and procure weapons.