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Elgar Parishad case: Accused discussed logistics, execution of attacks in Bastar and Gadchiroli with Maoists, says prosecution

The prosecution also told the court on Wednesday that the electronic data purportedly seized by police, which has been referred to in the chargesheet, has been verified by forensic experts and its metadata has also been submitted.

Elgar Parishad case: Accused discussed logistics, execution of attacks in Bastar and Gadchiroli with Maoist, says prosecution he prosecution has claimed that the “emails” are addressed to Comrade Surendra, a name denoting lawyer Surendra Gadling and activists Varavara Rao and Rona Wilson, who are among the 23 accused in the case.

The accused in the Elgaar Parishad case and some “underground Maoists” discussed the execution and logistical arrangements for carrying out Maoist attacks in Bastar and Gadchiroli, the prosecution claimed in a special court in Pune on Wednesday while quoting purported emails between the two parties. The emails also included plans for arranging weapons and future attacks, said the prosecution.

District Government Pleader Ujwala Pawar read out parts of the purported communication by alleged underground Maoists including Comrade Prakash, Comrade Sudarshan and Comrade Milind. The prosecution has claimed that the “emails” are addressed to Comrade Surendra, a name denoting lawyer Surendra Gadling and activists Varavara Rao and Rona Wilson, who are among the 23 accused in the case.

Explained

Why prosecution is presenting parts of evidence before trial

During the arguments on the bail applications by the accused, the prosecution has discussed what, it claimed, was the actual content of the emails seized from the accused and details of the evidence, including electronic data. Usually, such evidence is presented before the court when the actual trial begins. But in the Elgaar Parishad case, the accused, in their bail applications, have raised questions about the very content of the chargesheets submitted by the prosecution in November last year and February this year. To counter the arguments in the bail applications, the prosecution has made several direct references to the material available with them.

Pawar read out the “emails” while concluding her counter-arguments to the bail applications of Rao and Gadling.
A special court for the cases under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) is currently hearing the bail applications of the nine accused — most of them prominent human rights activists — who have been arrested so far. Pune City Police has claimed that all the accused have links to the banned outfit Communist Party of India (Maoist) and has slapped the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) on them.

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“These emails, which have been written over 2016 and 2017, are about the arrangement of funding, logistics, weapons, mobilisation of Maoist cadre for Naxal attacks in areas like Bastar and Gadchiroli… thus showing that these accused are not only members of the banned CPI-Maoist but have been actively involved in execution of terrorist activities in Maoist-infested areas.” Pawar said while concluding her arguments.

“The present accused in the case and other wanted Maoist leaders have communicated with each other about past attacks, their impact, plans to carry out future attacks, arrangement of weapons from Nepal and Manipur and also explosive materials like nitrate powder. This clearly calls for invoking UAPA, which the accused have argued against in their bail applications. One communication also talks about Surendra Gadling providing information about the deployment of police and CRPF in some areas, along with the maps for it,” she added.

Festive offer

The prosecution also told the court on Wednesday that the electronic data purportedly seized by police, which has been referred to in the chargesheet, has been verified by forensic experts and its metadata has also been submitted. Metadata has information about the larger data set.

The defence lawyers for the accused have said the “communications” are fabricated and have questioned the authenticity of the emails which form an important part of the police case. As the investigation has progressed in the case, Pune police has clarified that the probe in the case was not only restricted to Elgaar Parishad but was also looking at a wider Maoist conspiracy.

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Till now, police have booked 23 persons in connection with the case, including “fugitive” CPI-Maoist leader Mupalla Lakshmana Rao alias Ganapathy, under sections of the UAPA and the Indian Penal Code. For Wednesday’s hearing, all the arrested accused, except Sudha Bharadwaj and Shoma Sen, were produced before the court. A day earlier, the court had said the accused, lodged in Yerawada jail, should be produced in court.

First uploaded on: 09-05-2019 at 07:28 IST
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