Nishka Srinivas Veluvali –
Published On: November 25, 2021 at 20:30 IST
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) Court on Thursday, 25 November 2021, dismissed the Bail Plea of Mahesh Raut, forest rights activist Arrested in Elgar Parishad Case, for reportedly professing Maoist ideology and promoting unlawful activities.
Advocate Vijay Hiremath representing Mahesh Raut claimed that the forest rights activist Mahesh Raut had completed his studies in Nagpur and Nashik in 2011 graduated from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS).
Raut was teaching in Goa. Raut is also a former fellow of the prestigious Prime Minister’s Rural Development Programme of the Ministry of Rural Development and even worked with the Gadchiroli Collector.
Further, Raut’s counsel informed the Court that Mahesh Raut has been Charged for providing funds to the banned organizations and sending students to join those Naxalite movements.
“There is nothing on record about the funding. Equally the Chargesheet does not contain anything about the Allegations that Raut was a recruiter for the Naxalite movements,” Hiremath claimed.
The National Investigation Agency informed the Court that a letter with Raut’s name was found on the computer of Co-Accused Rona Wilson.
Hiremath argued that this letter was disputed on the computer in the US-based Arsenal Consulting. The letter states that Mahesh and Rs. 5 lakhs which the Agency has failed to recover or even trace. “These are all wild allegations.”
Prakash Shetty, on behalf of NIA, argued that Raut before this also filed the same Bail Petition on similar grounds before Pune Court which was rejected, and all the documents submitted by Raut for the reference is already been considered by the Pune Court while rejecting his Bail application before .
The Agency submitted the letter seized from Rona Wilson’s computer that had “Mahesh” and stated that via unknown sources Raut passed on ₹5 lakh for the Elgar Parishad event to Sudhir Dhawale, Shoma Sen and Surendra Gadling.
The Pune Police initially investigated this Case and had accused that Mahesh had sent Tata Institute of Social Services (TISS) students to meet the absconding underground Maoist leaders in the jungles in 2017.
Furthermore, he had recruited two former TISS students for the Maoist Party and those students underwent for arms training in the jungles.
Also Read: Elgar Parishad Case: NIA will provide Clone Copies but Trial must proceed
Elgar Parishad Case: Special NIA Court denies Bail to Accused Prof Sen