Bhima-Koregaon violence: PIL against ADG of Maharashtra Police for disclosing evidence in press conference

In a move against Additional Director General (ADG) of Maharashtra Police Param Bir Singh, a petition was filed in the Bombay High Court on Tuesday seeking action against him under contempt of court for disobeying the order of the magistrate and disclosing evidence related to the Bhima-Koregaon violence in media.

According to the petition filed by social activist Sanjay Bhalerao, the police read out parts of letters, which were "crucial evidence" in the case, in a press conference before submitting it to the court in Pune.

Bhalerao is being represented in the Bombay High Court by his lawyer Nitin Satpute. The matter has been slated for a hearing on September 7 -- the same day when the court will hear the petition of the alleged victim of the Bhima Koregaon violence, Satish Gaikwad, who wants the case to be handed over to the National Investigative Agency (NIA). Gaikwad is also being represented in the High Court by the same lawyer.

On Monday, the Bombay High Court had come down heavily on the Maharashtra Police for holding a press conference and elaborating on the evidence against activists arrested in the Bhima Koregaon case.

The court questioned the police for holding a media interaction when the case is sub-judice and criticised him for disclosing details of the matter, even after the police themselves had sought strict confidentiality in the proceedings.

Maharashtra Police, on August 28, had arrested five activists, claiming they had links to the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist). The raids triggered strong criticism against the police, leading the cops to defend and claim that they had strong evidence against the arrested activists.

The arrests can be traced to the violence that erupted between the Dalit and Maratha groups, earlier this year near Pune, during the bicentenary anniversary of the Bhima Koregaon battle. The clashes killed one person and left several injured, including 10 policemen.