Activist Shoma Sen seeks discharge in Elgar Parishad case, says she has been falsely arrested

Activistacademician Shoma Sen an accused in the Elgar ParishadMaoist links case on Tuesday moved an application before a special court here seeking discharge in the matter on the ground she has been falsely arrested and implicated for exposing illegal arrests torture and deaths of those defending their fundamental rightsShe moved the plea through advocate Sharif Shaikh before judge Rajesh Katariya presiding over the special National Investigation Agency NIA courtThe court will hear the matter on February 14Sen an English literature professor and Dalit and womens rights activist was arrested on June 6 2018 She is currently in jail under judicial custodyAlso readShiv Sena UBT threatens protest in front of delegates visiting Aurangabad for G20related event if Ajanta Caves road not widenedApplicant Sen has been falsely arrested and her implication in the present offence is with mala fide and prejudiced intent merely because she has been a consistent defender of human rights and civil liberties which many a time have exposed illegal arrests torture and deaths of those defending their fundamental rights her plea saidThe NIA which is investigating the case has claimed incriminating material against the accused was found in the computer of a coaccusedHowever the activist in her plea said letters and communications allegedly containing incriminating material against the accused persons in the case were neither in her possession nor addressed to her or by herHence to infer that these communications are authored by or addressed to some of the accused is iquestmerely a baseless and prejudiced claimiquest that cannot be used as a ground to frame charges against her as this evidence would be deemed to be based on hearsay said the applicationThere is no proof that the name Shoma in any of the socalled electronic letters communications refers to the applicant the plea saidThere are simply no indications that the socalled electronic letterscommunications were authored by or addressed to any member of the proscribed Communist Party of India Maoist it saidThe academician further claimed there is a selective and prejudicial targeting of the applicant and other accusedSen also sought discharge on the ground she has a host of healthrelated issues and is under medication for acute ailments such as glaucoma hypertension irritable bowel syndrome and advanced arthritis among othersThe case relates to alleged inflammatory speeches delivered at the Elgar Parishad conclave held at Shaniwarwada in Pune city on December 31 2017 which the police claimed triggered violence the next day near the KoregaonBhima war memorial located on the citys outskirtsThe Pune police which initially probed the case had claimed the conclave was backed by MaoistsLater the probe in the case in which more than a dozen activists and academicians have been named as accused was transferred to the NIAThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever