Maoist links case: Shoma Sen denied bail

A Pune court on Friday turned down the bail application of Nagpur University professor Shoma Sen who was among the five activists arrested in June this year for alleged Maoist links.

The court, last week, had refused bail to activists Sudha Bharadwaj, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira, arrested in the same case.

District and Sessions Judge Kishor D Vadane rejected Sen's bail plea on Friday.

Defence lawyer Rahul Deshmukh said the judge denied her bail holding that prima-facie (on the face of it) there is a case against her as her name figures in letters exchanged between Maoist leaders, allegedly seized by police.

Sen, writer-activist Sudhir Dhawale, lawyer Surendra Gadling, Rona Wilson and Mahesh Raut were arrested in June this year in connection with the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31 which had allegedly triggered violence at Bhima Koregaon next day.

According to Pune Police, the conclave had Maoist backing.

Later, in August, the police arrested Bharadwaj and four others in the same case.

The court is expected to deliver the order on the bail application of Gadling on Saturday.