Mumbai: Within hours of Dalit scholar Anand Teltumbde’s arrest in the Elgar Parishad case Saturday, a local court held Pune Police’s action had violated the Supreme Court’s order and he should be released immediately.
The arrest was termed as illegal because the Supreme Court had already granted him relief from his arrest till February 11. He was held in connection with the Elgar Parishad case and alleged links with Maoists. Although Teltumbde was forlorn with the police’s behaviour, he was happy with the decision. “What police has done is objectionable,” he said.
The Pune police with the help of Mumbai police arrested the activist at Mumbai’s domestic airport in the early hours of Saturday after his arrival from Kerala. Additional Sessions judge Kishor Vadane said the SC, while rejecting Teltumbde’s plea seeking to quash the FIR against him earlier, had given him protection from arrest till February 11 so that he could approach the “competent authority” for appropriate legal relief.
Therefore, arresting him before the protection period ended was “illegal” and also amounted to contempt of the SC’s order and he should be released immediately, the court said.
