Mumbai Feb 26 PTI The Bombay High Court on Saturday extended till March 3 the medical bail granted to poet and activist Varavara Rao an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case Rao 82 was first granted bail on health grounds by the high court in February 2021 for a period of six months He was also asked not to leave Mumbai He then filed an application seeking extension of the bail and subsequently filed another plea seeking permanent bail on the ground of ill-health The court has since September 2021 extended the time given to him to surrender several times On Saturday Raos lawyers mentioned his fresh plea seeking extension of bail before a division bench of Justices S B Shukre and A M Borkar Rao said in his application that as per medical reports he has asymptomatic Parkinsons disease neurological ailments and suffers from severe abdomen pain indicating umbilical hernia He also sought modification of the bail condition that he must not leave Mumbai requesting that he be allowed to return to Telangana his native state The court said it would hear the application on March 1 and extended the time for surrender till March 3 Earlier this week a bench headed by Justice S S Shinde recused withdrawn itself from matters pertaining to the Bhima Koregaon-Elgar Parishad case Chief Justice Dipankar Datta then assigned the cases to the bench headed by Justice Shukre The case relates to the alleged inflammatory speeches delivered at the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31 2017 which the police claimed triggered violence the next day near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial The Pune police which probed the case initially claimed the conclave was backed by Maoists The NIA later took over the probe Apart from Rao several other activists have been arrested in the case under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act PTI SP KRK KRK

Mumbai Feb 22 PTI The Koregaon-Bhima Inquiry Commission on Tuesday allowed NCP chief Sharad Pawars application seeking time to file an additional affidavit in response to the summons issued against him for his appearance on February 23-24 The commission had earlier this month asked Pawar to appear before it on February 23 and 24 to record evidence in connection with the January 1 2018 violence at a war memorial in the Pune district of Maharashtra Pawar had filed an application before the commission seeking time to file an additional affidavit His plea was accepted by the probe panel on Tuesday commissions lawyer Ashish Satpute said adding that the commission will hold its next sitting in Pune in March The panel had earlier summoned Pawar in 2020 but he couldnt appear before it due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown Earlier in the day Maharashtra minister and NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik had issued a video statement saying that Pawar will not be able to appear before the commission on February 23-24 He also said that Pawar will appear before the probe panel in future The commission had called Sharad Pawar to appear before it He has submitted to the commission in writing that he wont be able to appear before it this time He has told the panel that he will put forth his version before the commission later Pawar will definitely be present there in the future he added According to the Pune police violence had broken out on January 1 2018 between caste groups near the war memorial during the bicentennial anniversary of the 1818 battle of Koregaon Bhima One person had died and several others including 10 police personnel were injured in the incident The Pune Police had alleged that provocative speeches made at the Elgar Parishad conclave held on December 31 2017 in Pune triggered the violence around Koregaon Bhima According to the police the Elgar Parishad conclave organisers had links with Maoists The NCP chief had filed an affidavit before the commission on October 8 2018 In February 2020 social group Vivek Vichar Manch member Sagar Shinde submitted an application before the commission seeking the summoning of Sharad Pawar in view of certain statements made by him in media about the 2018 caste violence PTI ENM AVI GK NSK NSK

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], February 22 (ANI): Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar has sought more time from Koregaon-Bhima Inquiry Commission to appear before it.

Mumbai Feb 22 PTI NCP chief Sharad Pawar has conveyed to the Koregaon-Bhima Inquiry Commission that he will not be able to appear before it on February 23-24 Maharashtra minister and NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said this in a video statement on Tuesday and added that Pawar will definitely appear before the probe panel in future The Koregaon-Bhima Inquiry Commission had earlier this month asked Pawar to appear before it on February 23 and 24 to record evidence in connection with the January 2018 violence at a war memorial in Pune district of Maharashtra The panel had earlier summoned Pawar in 2020 but he couldnt appear before it due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown Malik said The commission had called Pawar saheb to appear before it He has submitted to the commission in writing that he wont be able to appear before it this time He has told the panel that he will put forth his version before the commission later Pawar saheb will definitely be present there in the future he added According to the Pune police violence had broken out on January 1 2018 between caste groups near the war memorial during the bicentennial anniversary of the 1818 battle of Koregaon Bhima One person had died and several others including 10 police personnel were injured in the incident The Pune Police had alleged that provocative speeches at the Elgar Parishad conclave held on December 31 2017 in Pune triggered the violence around Koregaon Bhima According to the police the Elgar Parishad conclave organisers had links with Maoists The NCP chief had filed an affidavit before the commission on October 8 2018 In February 2020 social group Vivek Vichar Manch member Sagar Shinde filed an application before the commission seeking the summoning of Sharad Pawar in view of certain statements made by him in media about the 2018 caste violence Meanwhile Malik also said that with the number of COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra seeing a decline the state health and relief and rehabilitation departments will work out a proposal on relaxations to be given in view of the current situation The chief minister will discuss the same with the task force and take a call The decision taken will be conveyed to people accordingly he added On Monday Maharashtra reported 806 COVID-19 cases The state capital Mumbai reported 96 new COVID-19 cases the lowest single-day rise after April 17 2020 as per official data PTI ENM GK GK

Pune Jan 31 PTI The Koregaon-Bhima Inquiry Commission probing the January 2018 violence near a memorial in Maharashtras Pune district on Monday resumed the day-to-day hearing over two-and-a-half months after it had suspended the proceedings in view of the rising COVID-19 graph The last hearing was conducted on November 15 2021 The hearing was supposed to resume in early January this year but it was suspended due to the rise in coronavirus cases and postponed till January 31 said commissions lawyer Ashish Satpute He said Sambhaji Shivale a witness deposed before the commission on Monday Other witnesses including the then Pune police commissioner Rashmi Shukla is expected to depose later this week he said Shukla currently posted as Additional Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force CRPF in Hyderabad had filed her affidavit in the case Shukla was the Pune police commissioner when the violence had broken out at Koregaon Bhima in the Pune district Tejswi Satpute the then additional SP of Pune rural police is also expected to appear before the commission this week Satpute is currently serving as Solapur rural SP The two-member probe commission is headed by the retired chief justice of the Calcutta High Court J N Patel and also comprises former Maharashtra chief secretary Sumit Mullick As per the Pune police violence erupted between caste groups near the war memorial during the bicentennial anniversary of the 1818 battle of Koregaon Bhima on January 1 2018 Dalit organisations commemorate the victory of the East India Company over the Peshwa of Pune in the battle because British forces included soldiers from the oppressed Mahar community But some right-wing organisations had opposed the celebration leading to the violence in 2018 One person had died and several others including 10 police personnel were injured in the incident PTI COR NSK NSK

Mumbai Jan 29 PTI Pune city police handled the situation tactfully during the 2018 Koregaon-Bhima clashes preventing a major untoward incident in the city senior IPS officer Rashmi Shukla has told an inquiry commissionShukla then Pune police commissioner has submitted a detailed affidavit before the two-member commission headed by Justice retd J N Patel which is conducting probe into the violenceClashes broke out near the war memorial at Perne in Pune district on January 1 2018 during the bi-centennial celebration of the Bhima Koregaon battleShukla said the Pune city police had anticipated that a large number of visitors would arrive from all over the state on that day and had taken adequate precautions and preventive measuresdue to said effective deployment of man power police force there was negligible incidence of stone pelting within my jurisdiction or violence in the limits of Pune city she said There was neither any loss of human life nor any major outbreak of violence in the city Also there was no untoward incident in Pune district after the evening of January 3 2018 Shukla added Earlier the commissions lawyer Ashish Satpute had filed an application seeking that Shukla -- now deputed to the CRPF -- be directed to file an affidavit Dalit organizations commemorate the victory of the East India Company over the Peshwa of Pune in the 1818 battle of Bhima Koregaon as the British forces included soldiers from the oppressed Mahar community Some right-wing organisations had opposed the celebration leading to violence on January 1 2018 One person died and several others including 10 police personnel were injured Pune Police later arrested several Left-leaning activists and writers for alleged Maoist connections claiming that the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31 2017 had been backed Maoists and the inflammatory speeches made there triggered the next days violence near the Perne memorial PTI AVI KRK KRK

Pune Dec 30 PTI Ahead of the 204th anniversary of the historic battle of Koregaon Bhima on January 1 the Pune district administration has issued a prohibitory order under which putting up hoardings or banners in the villages around the memorial has been banned The order issued under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure CrPC will come into effect from the midnight of December 30 and will remain in force till 6 am on January 2 As per a Dalit narrative the British forces that fought Peshwas at Koregaon Bhima on January 1 1818 comprised largely of soldiers from the Dalit Mahar community who waged a war for freedom from the casteism of the Peshwas On January 1 every year Dalits mainly from the Mahar community visit the Jaystambh a victory pillar at Perne village raised by the British in memory of the soldiers who fought bravely against the Peshwas in the Battle of Koregaon Bhima As per the prohibitory orders issued by the collector posting of content that can spread rumors create hatred in communities posting misleading information on social media platforms has been prohibited Putting up hoardings flex banners in public spaces has also been prohibited Violence had broken out near Koregaon Bhima near the victory pillar during the 200th commemoration of the Bhima Koregaon battle on January 1 2018 According to police provocative speeches made at Elgar Parishad conclave in Pune city a day before had triggered violence in Koregaon Bhima PT SPK NP NP

Pune Dec 27 PTI Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Monday said the BJP and the Shiv Sena can come together if the former agrees to give the Uddhav Thackeray-led party the post of Maharashtra chief minister for a full five-year term Speaking to reporters here Athawale said the coming together of the two former allies was not a big deal adding that he would request the BJP to consider his plan My proposal is that a thought should be given to the possibility of BJP and Shiv Sena coming together by BJP offering CM position to the latter Shiv Sena BJP and Shiv Sena coming together is not a big deal Even Sainiks feel the two parties must come together said Athawale Asked on the BJP taking potshots at Uddhav Thackeray by alleging the state does not have a full time CM Athawale quipped the post must be given to Devendra Fadnavis who led a coalition government along with the Sena between 2014 and 2019 Speaking on the Uttar Pradesh polls to be held next year Athawale said the ruling BJP must give his RPIA five to six seats as part of an alliance Such an arrangement would benefit the BJP as RPIA has supporters in UP and if the BJP gets the votes that were once in the kitty of Mayawati and her BSP it could retain the state with over 300 seats Athawale claimed He said the Samajwadi Party under Akhilesh Yadav would not be able to dislodge the BJP government in UP as excellent work had been done by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath who had introduced several welfare schemes The Union minister said in view of the COVID-19 pandemic and the new Omicron variant people should avoid gathering in large numbers at Koregaon Bhima near here on January 1 to commemorate the 1818 battle there PTI SPK BNM BNM BNM

Mumbai Dec 24 PTI A high-level committee has been set up to prepare a draft plan for the development and beautification of the Koregaon Bhima memorial in Pune district the Maharashtra government told the Legislative Assembly on Friday Social Justice Minister Dhananjay Munde made this announcement The social justice department has set up a high-level committee Its report is expected in two months he said The district collector of Pune district has been directed to expedite the land acquisition process and the required budgetary allocation has also been approved by the department he said More than five lakh people visit the Vijay Stambh at Koregaon Bhima on January 1 every year The social justice department has been entrusted the job of beautification and development of the premises Munde said On January 1 2018 violent clashes had broken out in the area around Koregaon Bhima on the 200th anniversary of the 1818 battle One one person was killed and several others were injured in the clashes In the 1818 battle the East India Companys forces which included sepoys of Mahar caste a Dalit community had defeated the army of the Brahmin Peshwa ruler of Pune Dalits commemorate the victory as a symbol of defeat of the old Brahmanical order Police had claimed that inflammatory statements made a day earlier at Elgar Parishad conclave in Pune city allegedly backed by Maoists led to the violence PTI MR NP NP

Mumbai Dec 23 PTI Eight activists accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case who were denied default bail by the Bombay High Court earlier this month told the HC on Thursday that they will file review petitions against the order which was based on a factual error The accused activists and academicians -- Sudhir Dawale Dr P Varavara Rao Rona Wilson advocate Surendra Gadling Professor Shoma Sen Mahesh Raut Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira -- had earlier this week filed an application for speaking to minutes which is used for getting minor corrections made to an order of a court On Thursday a bench of Justices S S Shinde and N J Jamadar said the court could not pass any orders accepting or denying the claims made by the parties or even listen to the arguments on merits since the accused had preferred to move the speaking to minutes application Senior advocate Sudeep Pasbola who appeared for one of the accused activists in the case then told the bench that the accused will withdraw the speaking to minutes application and file fresh pleas seeking a review of the HC order Pasbola said the accused will file the fresh pleas in January 2022 once the HC reopens after the Christmas vacations The bench then said it was not granting any liberty or specific permission to the accused to file the review petition However if the procedure established under the law provided for a review petition they were free to file it the HC said On December 1 this year the bench of Justices Shinde and Jamadar granted default bail to Sudha Bharadwaj also an accused in the Elgar Parishad case on the ground that the Pune sessions court which had granted extension of time to the Pune police for filing of charge sheet after the mandatory 90-day period was over did not have the jurisdiction to do so At that time the bench rejected the same relief for the eight other co-accused in the case The HC then said these eight persons had not exercised their right to seek default bail in time It had observed that while Bharadwaj filed a plea before the Pune court seeking default bail as soon as the 90-day period for filing of the charge sheet in the case got over these eight accused had delayed filing of their applications On Tuesday however the eight accused persons informed the bench through their counsel R Sathyanarayanan that its judgment denying them default bail was based on a factual error They said Dhawale Wilson Gadling Sen and Raut had filed default bail pleas before the Pune sessions court on September 26 2018 after the 90-day period of their arrest got over and the charge sheet remained to be filed The activists said they were arrested on July 6 2018 and the first charge sheet against them was filed only on November 15 2018 They filed their default bail pleas in time but the same are still pending hearing before the sessions court they said Gonsalves Rao and Ferriera told the high court that they had applied for default bail on November 30 2018 just four days after Bharadwaj filed her application before the Pune court They told the HC that the Pune sessions court had rejected their default bail applications along with Bharadwajs default bail plea through a common order passed on November 6 2019 It was this November 6 2019 order that the high court bench of Justice Shinde had set aside on December 1 this year in Bharadwajs case they said The Elgar Parishad case was earlier with the Pune police and it is now being handled by the National Investigation Agency NIA The case relates to alleged inflammatory speeches delivered at the Elgar Parishad conclave held at Shaniwarwada in Pune on December 31 2017 which the police claimed triggered violence the next day near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial located on the citys outskirts The Pune police had claimed the conclave was backed by Maoists PTI AYA GK GK