Elgar Parishad case: NIA to share copies of e-evidence

MUMBAI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) submitted before Bombay high court that it would provide remaining cloned copies of electronic evidence in the Elgar Parishad case to accused Sudha Bharadwaj and Gautam Navlakha, based on provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), but objected to their plea for a stay of the trial till the copies are handed.
The duo made an interim plea for stay of the trial proceedings. The agency’s reply was submitted last week. The NIA counsel Sandesh Patil informed the bench of Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Sarang Kotwal, that it would be tendered before the HC registry.
The NIA in its reply to their petition for the copies of the electronic data allegedly recovered during a probe in the January 2018 case registered first by the Pune police, “objected to” allegations that the copies have been tampered with or manipulated. The agency said petitioners can raise grievances only after forensic science laboratory (FSL) reports are submitted before the special court.
It said while some sealed cloned copies and final reports of the electronic evidence have been received from FSL, Mumbai and will be submitted before special court in the next hearing, five such reports are yet to be received.