The relatives and friends of three of the 16 activists arrested in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case have approached the Bombay High Court against a special court's order which allowed the transfer of all-male accused in the case from the Taloja prison in Navi Mumbai.

The special NIA court passed the order without giving a hearing to the accused and they were being "punished for having demanding their rights", the petition, filed on Monday, said. The three petitioners are academician Anand Teltumbde's wife Rama Teltumbde, lawyer Surendra Gadling's wife Minal Gadling and activist Sudhir Dhawale's friend Sharad Gaikwad.