Activists arrest: Supreme Court reserves verdict on plea for SIT probe

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved verdict on petitions filed by Dr Romila Thapar and others seeking a probe by a special investigation team (SIT) into the arrest of five activists on August 28 in connection with the Bhima Koregaon incidents and seeking their release on bail. A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud, reserved verdict after perusing the documents and part of case diary submitted by the Maharashtra government in a sealed cover.

While senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Anand Grover and Vrinda Grover pleaded for SIT probe, the additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta for Maharashtra and senior counsel Harish Salve for the original complainant in the Bhima Koregaon case strongly opposing any such probe. The bench asked the state to submit on Saturday to the registry the entire case diary and evidence available on record to justify the arrest of activists. The CJI told the counsel “we will look into all the letters and evidence but we will not comment on merits.”

On Wednesday the court had asked the ASG to produce one best document available showing the involvement of the activists. On Thursday the ASG pointed out to the court several documents, which would show the active involvement of the five activists. The five activists Varavara Rao, lawyer Sudha Bhardwaj, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves and Gautam Navlakha were taken into custody from different parts of the country on August 28.