Pune court sends activist to police custody till November 26

Pune: A special court in Pune on Sunday sent Varavara Rao, a poet whom the Pune police arrested on the accusation of being an active member of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), to police custody till November 26.

The police arrested Rao on Saturday night after his period of house arrest ended. On Sunday, the police made fresh allegations against him, saying he used to send information related to security arrangements to underground organisations.

Rao was arrested on August 28 and was produced in the Pune court the next day. However, he was put under house arrest on the orders of the Supreme Court the same day. The Hyderabad high court extended his house arrest by three weeks on October 25. On November 16, the Hyderabad high court refused to set aside transit remand granted by the chief metropolitan magistrate on August 28, following which the Pune police went to Hyderabad the same day but didn’t arrest him. The police then arrested him at 8.31 pm on Saturday from his house in Hyderabad.

The police later produced Rao before sessions judge K.D. Vadane and demanded his custody for 14 days. Public prosecutor Ujjwala Pawar argued, “Rao is a senior leader of the banned Maoist party. He along with (another accused) Surendra Gadling would provide information of security arrangements to underground organisations like ‘People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army’ through members of fact-finding committees or other members. They also raise funds for the banned party and also provide funds for daily expenses to their comrades in forests.”