The Bombay High Court on Wednesday granted bail to Rona Wilson and Sudhir Dhawale, accused in the Bhima Koregaon violence case of 2018, which led to the death of one person and injured many others.
The Bench of Justice AS Gadkari and Justice Kamal Khata directed the accused to furnish a bail bond of Rs one lakh each and to report before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) every Monday.
The High Court allowed the bail petitions on the grounds of prolonged incarceration, as well as non-framing of charges against the accused. It further took into consideration the fact that over 300 witnesses were yet to be examined.
In July 2024, the High Court had denied default bail to Wilson, Dhawale and three other accused in the Elgar Parishad Maoist links case.
Wilson was arrested in July 2018 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. He is presently in judicial custody.
On December 31, 2017, a group of persons including activists and retired Supreme Court judge Justice PB Sawant and retired Bombay High Court judge Justice BG Kolse-Patil, had organised an event at Bhima Koregaon village in Maharashtra, marking the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Koregaon Bhima.
On January 1, 2018, violence broke out between two groups, leading to the death of one person and injuries to several others.
Three First Information Reports (FIRs) were registered in the case, leading to the arrest of 16 accused, including members of several Leftist groups.