Suspected Maoist granted bail by special court in Maharashtra

Nagpur, Jan 5 (ANI): The District and Sessions court of Gadchiroli in Maharashtra granted bail to Mumbai-based Maoist suspect Arun Thomas Ferreira.

Ferreira's lawyer, Surendra Gadling dubbed all the charges levelled against him as bogus.

He termed the arrest as abduction by the police and said that they have filed a writ petition before the High Court for against alleged vindictive prosecution by the jail authorities.

"Since abduction was done, we have filed a case demanding a compensation for it. The way the cases were imposed, you could see and get to know what kind of bogus cases they were. For four-and-half years they never arrested this man and the cases have been registered in dates before he was arrested. But as he gets free, he was arrested within five minutes, it clearly shows what is the modus operandi of state and the police," said Gadling.

He added that acting on their petition the High Court has issued notices to several security officials.

"High court has issued notice to the State Secretary Maharashtra Government, Superintendent of Police of Gadchiroli, Superintendent of Police of Nagpur prison and the Station House Officer (SHO) of Dhantoli Police Station. Apart from that seven others have been issued notice," said Gadling.

In 2007, Ferreira was arrested along with senior Maoist leader Arun Satya Reddy alias Murali in Nagpur.

He was acquitted in over 10 cases, but whenever he was acquitted of one charge and was ordered release, the state police re-arrested him on fresh set of charges.

The Gadchiroli police arrested him in 2010 after the local court acquitted him.

He was accused of involvement in a police-Maoist gun battle in Gadchiroli district in April 2007. (ANI)