Congress withdraws call for ‘Karnataka Bandh’ on Thursday
Bengaluru: The Congress has withdrawn its call for a symbolic ‘Karnataka Bandh’ on Thursday, March 9, in opposition of the corruption of the BJP government in the state.
Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar said that school and college-level examinations, including those of PU II, are currently being held in the state. Since holding a state protest would inconvenience the students and their parents, the party is withdrawing its bandh call.
“We have arrived at the decision after discussion with party senior leaders,” said the KPCC president.
Speaking on the matter, Shivakumar said, “The Congress had decided to hold a symbolic bandh of two hours from 9 am to 11 am on March 9, strongly opposing the high levels of corruption in the BJP government and demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. As we gave the bandh call, however, students and parents approached us and informed us of the problems they would face if a protest was organized in times of their examination. Deciding to give priority to their welfare and respecting their request, we are withdrawing the bandh call.”
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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).
