Bhima Koregaon Case Accused Rona Wilson Approaches Court For Temporary Bail Following Father's Demise

Researcher Rona Wilson, accused in the Bhima Koregaon - Elgar Parishad caste violence case approached the Special NIA Court on Wednesday seeking temporary bail for two weeks following his father's demise on August 18, 2021.

Wilson's father passed away at AT Neendakara, Kerala. He was 84. Wilson had met his father in April 2018, months before his arrest in the case.

In his application, Wilson states that a ceremonial mass is scheduled for September 16, 2021. At this point if he is allowed to meet his family, it would bring him "solace," he said.

"Hence the present application for bail on humane consideration," the application states, adding, that there are judicial precedents to consider a bail plea on humanitarian grounds.

Wilson has sought bail from September 13, on conditions the court deems fit.

On Wednesday, the court took Wilson's application on record and asked his advocate Neeraj Yadav to serve a copy to the Special Public Prosecutor and Investigating Officer and posted the matter for hearing on September 6.

Wilson was the first person to be arrested on June 6, 2018 by the Pune police. He, along with 14 other civil liberties activists and academics, are incarcerated, facing charges under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) based on letters primarily retrieved from his and co-accused Surendra Gadling's computer to claim a conspiracy to overthrow the government.

The Bombay High Court recently granted co-accused Surendra Gadling temporary bail for nine days, from August 13-21, to perform his mother's funeral rites on her first death anniversary on humanitarian grounds.

The rigours of regular bail under UAPA would not apply for the grant of temporary bail on humanitarian grounds, the court had said.

The HC is hearing Wilson's plea challenging his prosecution under UAPA on the grounds that the incriminating letters were planted on his laptop.

His petition is buoyed by a report by Arsenal Consulting, a digital forensics consulting company in the USA, which concluded that Wilson's computer was infected with a malware, called NetWire, which was planted through an email on June 13, 2016, two years before his arrest.