The seven accused in the Elgaar Parishad case went on hunger strike on Friday after they were not produced before the special court on the last three occasions.
Rona Wilson, Sudhir Dhawale, Surendra Gadling, Mahesh Raut, Sagar Gorkhe, Ramesh Gaichor and Hany Babu, who are incarcerated in Taloja Central Jail, did not appear before the court on Friday. They were also not shown at previous hearings on Oct. 9 and Sept. 30. They could not be released via videoconference Friday because of technical problems, their attorneys said.
During the trial, the suspects raised the issue of non-disclosure of the charges in court. They said that despite the Government’s Decision where a certain number of Navi Mumbai police officers are reserved to bring the accused to court, reasons are often given in court that the police are busy with other duties including security.
The suspects said that since some of them, including Gadling, appeared in person, and could not be presented, any requests they want to file in court will be delayed.