Mumbai: The Bombay HC on Thursday, directed the Maha govt to file a reply on why it has not initiated action against the right wing Hindu extremist Manohar Bhide, prime accused in the Dec 1, 2018 Bhima-Koregaon violence in Pune. A division bench of Justices Bhushan Dharmadhikari and Revati Mohite-Dere also expressed surprise over the approach of the Pune Police towards the complaint filed by a victim of the Bhima-Koregaon violence, in which one man was killed during riots between two groups.
The bench was seized with a writ petition filed by Anita Sawale, a victim of the incident. She had registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Manohar Bhide and Milind Ekbote, accusing them of orchestrating the violence, which later on had spread across Maharashtra.
In her FIR, Sawale had named Bhide and Ekbote as the main perpetrators of the violence. “File an affidavit spelling out why action was not taken. The affidavit should also detail the steps taken after the FIR was registered,” the bench said. The judges have accordingly granted time till April 16, for the Pune Police to file its reply.
