The Supreme Court has extended the house arrest of five activists held in Bhima Koregaon case till September 12. The top court pulled up the Maharashtra government for the press meet held by its police last week, giving evidences in public.
Annoyed over the statements given by the Assistant Commissioner of Police of Pune on the matter, a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said the police were casting aspersions on the court. "You must ask your police officials to be more responsible. The matter is before us and we don't want to hear from police officials that the Supreme Court is wrong," the bench told Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was appearing for Maharashtra government.
The Maharashtra police has defended its demand for custody of the activists - Varavara Rao, Vernon Gonzalves, Arun Ferreira, Sudha Bhardwaj and Gautam Navalakha - saying that keeping these activists under house arrest will hamper the investigation in the case.
The arrest of five rights activists had nothing to do with their dissenting opinion or difference in their political or other ideologies but was because of "serious criminal offences" and incriminating material, the Maharashtra police told the court.
Maharashtra Police had on August 28 raided the homes of the prominent activists in several states and arrested at least five of them for suspected Maoist links, sparking a chorus of outraged protests from human rights defenders.
The raids were carried out as part of an investigation into an event called Elgar Parishad, or conclave, on December 31 last year, which had later triggered violence at Bhima-Koregaon village.
NDTV Impact: Probe Team Ordered Over Minister's Role In Disappearance Supreme Court Creates History, Gives Senior Advocate Tag To Manipur Lawyer "Will Suspend All Freebies Unless...": Supreme Court's Warning To Maharashtra 2 French Rafale Jets Collide Mid-Air, Instructor, Pilot Missing Tear Gas Fired After Kolkata Protest Against Doctor's Rape-Murder Turns Violent "Pivotal Moment": Key Doctor Body Resumes Strike 2 Days After Calling It Off Monkeypox Virus Killed 548 People In This Nation Since Start Of 2024 Tiger Attacks 5 After Escaping From Rajasthan's Sariska Tiger Reserve This US City Has Been Declared America's Least Desirable, Survey Finds Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.