Bhima-Koregaon riots: Pune court orders release of Anand Teltumbde

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Pune special court on Saturday ordered a release of Anand Teltumbde, who was arrested in Mumbai by the Pune Police in the Elgar Parishad case for his alleged Maoist links, officials said. Court ordered the release of Teltumbde claiming the arrest as illegal, and have given protection from arrest till February 11.

Police detained Teltumbde, a professor at Goa Institute of Management, at the Mumbai airport early hours Saturday after his arrival from Kerala.

He was detained by the Mumbai Police, who later handed him over to the Pune Police, an official said. "Teltumbde was interrogated and later arrested by the Pune Police. He would be produced in the court later in the day," said Shivaji Bodkhe, Joint Commissioner of Pune Police.

His arrest comes a day after a special court in Pune rejected his anticipatory bail application. "Since his pre-arrest bail plea was rejected by the court in Pune on Friday, we decided to arrest him today," Assistant Commissioner of Police Shivaji Pawar, who is investigating the case, said.

Teltumbde's lawyer Rohan Nahar, however, termed the arrest illegal, saying the Supreme Court had given him protection from arrest till February 11. "His arrest is a contempt of the apex court order, and we will move a plea against it," he said.

Senior advocate Indira Jaising took to Twitter to protest the activist's arrest. "Dr Anand Teltumbde arrested at 330am at Mumbai airport by Pune Police in Gross violation of SC order giving him protection from arrest till 11th February, this is contempt of the order of the Supreme Court of India #ReleaseDrAnandTeltumbde immediately," she said.

On Friday, Additional Sessions Judge Kishor Vadane had observed that an investigating officer has collected sufficient material "to show the involvement of the present accused (Teltumbde) in the alleged commission of the offence". The prosecution had Thursday submitted an envelope in the Pune court containing "evidence", claiming that it proves Teltumbde's involvement in Maoist activities.

Teltumbde had filed the anticipatory (pre-arrest) bail application before the Pune court after the Supreme Court rejected his plea seeking to quash the FIR against him in the Elgar Parishad case.

According to the Pune Police, Maoists had supported the Elgar Parishad conclave held here on December 31, 2017, and the inflammatory speeches there led to violent clashes at the Koregaon Bhima war memorial the next day.

(With inputs from Anurag Kamble)

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