EC team arrives in Karnataka to review preparations for assembly polls
Bengaluru (PTI): A team of Election Commission officials led by the Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Thursday arrived in the city to assess the readiness for assembly elections in the state.
The team comprising election commissioners Anup Chandra Pandey and Arun Goel is on a three-day visit to Karnataka, where assembly elections are due by May.
After reaching the state capital, the team held a meeting today at the Vikasa Soudha with the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Karnataka Manoj Kumar Meena and other officers.
It will interact with the representatives of various political parties to seek their suggestion, opinion and complaints.
The team will also attend an international conference on 'Inclusive Elections and Elections Integrity' here, which will see participation of election commissioners of various democratic countries.
On March 10, the EC will hold a meeting with the deputy commissioners of all the districts regarding the preparation being made for the upcoming elections.
Later, the EC will inaugurate an exhibition on elections, before flagging off LED vehicles meant for voter awareness.
The election commissioners will hold a press conference on March 11 before flying back to Delhi.
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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).
