World Cup Cricket match at Dharamshala brings rival politicians together
Shimla/Dharamshala (PTI): Keeping aside their political rivalry, Congress and BJP leaders enjoyed a Cricket World Cup match between India and New Zealand at the scenic Dharamshala stadium on Sunday.
BJP leader and Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur was joined by Congress leader and Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, state Industries Minister Harshvardhan, BJP national president J P Nadda and Leader of Opposition in state assembly Jai Ram Thakur.
Himachal Pradesh BJP president Dr Rajiv Bindal and several other Congress legislators also watched the match live from the ground.
Sukhu was seen sitting between J P Nadda and Anurag Thakur. The leaders were snapped sitting together in the VVIP stands with the chief minister holding Anurag Thakur's hand.
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Jay Shah, Indian Premier League (IPL) Chairman Arun Dhumal and Himachal Pradesh State Tourism Corporation Chairman Raghubir Singh Bali were also present there.
"This event is a testament to our nation's fervour for the sport," said the chief minister, praising the stadium's breathtaking surroundings.
On the field, however, India had a rare ordinary day as they dropped three catches. Kuldeep Yadav (2/73) was the most expensive bowler but got the important wickets of Tom Lathan and Glenn Phillips.
Daryl Mitchell hit a gutsy hundred before India pacer Mohammed Shami sizzled with a five-wicket haul in his first game of the World Cup to restrict New Zealand to 273 all out here on Sunday.
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Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case: HC grants bail to Rona Wilson, Sudhir Dhawale
Mumbai, Jan 8: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday granted bail to researcher Rona Wilson and activist Sudhir Dhawale, both arrested in 2018 in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case.
A division bench of Justices A S Gadkari and Kamal Khata took note of their long incarceration, and the fact that the trial is not likely to be completed any time soon.
The accused were languishing in jail since 2018 and even the charges are yet to be framed by the special court, defence lawyers Mihir Desai and Sudeep Pasbola had argued.
The high court on Wednesday said it was not dealing with the merits of the case at this stage.
Wilson and Dhawale were directed to submit a surety of Rs one lakh each, and appear before the special NIA court for the trial hearing.
The bench noted that there are over 300 witnesses in the case, and hence it is not possible for the trial to be concluded in the near future.
The case pertains to provocative speeches allegedly delivered at the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017, triggering violence at Koregaon-Bhima in Pune district the next day.
The Pune police had claimed the conclave was backed by the Maoists.
The National Investigation Agency later took over the probe. Of the 16 persons arrested in the case, many are now out on bail.
Rona Wilson was arrested in June 2018 from his home in Delhi. He was described by the probe agencies as one of the top brass of urban Maoists.
Sudhir Dhawale was one of the first to be arrested, accused of being an active member of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist).
