Have sought legal opinion for Elgar Parishad SIT: Anil Deshmukh

Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Saturday said the state government had sought legal opinion on the formation of a special investigation team to probe the Elgar Parishad case.

A court in Pune hearing the Elgar Parishad case had, one Friday, passed an order to transfer the case to a special NIA court in Mumbai.

The case relates to alleged inflammatory speeches delivered at the Elgar Parishad conclave, held at Shaniwarwada in Pune on December 31, 2017, which police claimed triggered violence near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial in the district the next day.

Pune police claimed the conclave was backed by Maoists and arrested nine activists.

Deshmukh said the state Home department had written to the advocate general seeking legal opinion on whether an SIT can be formed or not for the case.

Queried on whether Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had overruled NCP supremo Sharad Pawar by consenting to transfer of the Elgar Parishad to the NIA, Deshmukh said the CM had overruled him (Deshmukh), adding that "I can speak only abut me".

He denied that the Maha Vikas Aghadi government was setting aside action taken against 'urban Naxals' by late RR Patil when he was home minister in an earlier Congress-NCP government.