Retired Supreme Court judge and one of the organisers of Elgaar Parishad, Justice BG Kolse Patil speaks to HT regarding the arrests of civil rights activists

HT Correspondent
Hindustan Times, Pune

Pune,Justice BG Kolse Patil,organisers of Elgaar Parishad

Justice B G Kolse Patil(Rahul Raut/HT PHOTo

What is your opinion on the Pune police’s arrest of civil rights activists for their alleged Naxal links?

We have seen the charge sheet andsince, I have been a lawyer, prosecutor and a judge, I can say for sure that nothing can be proved against these activists who were not active in politics. They will be in jail till the elections. Under what logic have they been arrested is still a big question mark. The police have become desperate in their actions. They came to discuss with retired Supreme Court judge PB Sawant and a news related to his statement recorded was published. His statement was stillattached to the charge sheet which was submitted before the court. This police action comes under the Atrocity Act as all the accused in the case are Dalits. It is like fabricating evidence against Dalits,which means it is a creation of a false proof by the police.

What is your say regarding the investigations?

Maharashtra police must read the book ‘Gujarat files’ by Rana Ayyub. The book has details regarding corroborative evidence related to Gujarat riots. The current witch hunting of civil rights activists going on in the country is a Gujarat laboratory model experiment of creating false evidence and making false accusation against intellectuals who have dissenting views and are critical of the state. It is also a time-tested tool to silence the opponents. Even TV anchors are falsifying the history and are not ready to accept the facts.Read more309 trees in Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary cut without assessment study, says Pune’s civic body

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What about the Maoist funding of Elgar Parishad ?

There is no question of taking money from these activists as we have never seen or met them before. Supreme Court judge PB Sawant and I organised Elgar Parishad. We used the stage erected by the MIT College for their function which was to take place the next day so there is no question of taking money for the programme. The civil right activists have been falsely implicated in the case involving Maoists, which is a reflection of an undeclared emergency in the country. Even the police have clearly stated that Elgar Parishad is not connected to Bhima Koregaon riots.