Activist and lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj (59) on Thursday became the first accused in the Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon case to be released from prison. She has spent over three years and three months in custody and was out at 12.41 pm on Thursday.
Bharadwaj waved to those assembled outside the Byculla prison and was picked up by a vehicle that was waiting for her on the premises. Her daughter Mayshaa and friends had come to pick her up. The activist was all smiles once in the car amongst her near and dear ones.
A special court on Wednesday had imposed strict conditions on her while out on bail, including that she will stay put in the city and not comment on the case in the media. Bharadwaj was granted default bail by the Bombay High Court on December 1. She was arrested on August 28, 2018, and has been booked under stringent provisions of the UAPA for an alleged conspiracy to topple the government.
Shashank Parade