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Journalism of Courage
The Karnataka High Court last month granted bail in three cases registered against one of the Maoists, Laxmi Poojarthi, alias Thombattu Laxmi, who had surrendered to the Government earlier this year.
The cases against Laxmi, registered between 2007 and 2010, involved allegedly placing handbills and banners, threatening a man in Udupi’s Hanja village not to obstruct tribals gathering forest produce, and engaging in an exchange of fire with authorities. The cases were filed under sections of the Indian Penal Code, Arms Act, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, respectively.
Several Maoists, representing the last active members of the movement in Karnataka, surrendered in January and February. This had been the culmination of outreach efforts by the Naxal Surrender and Rehabilitation Committee, facilitated by several meetings conducted by left-wing and human rights groups. While a group of six Maoists surrendered in January, another Maoist, Kotehunda Ravi, and Laxmi surrendered in February.
Laxmi approached the high court after a lower court in Udupi rejected her bail application. The trial court refused bail on the grounds that as she had been absconding since 2006, she might again abscond and join a Maoist group to wage war against the state.
Before a bench of Justices K S Mudagal and Venkatesh Naik, which granted her bail on October 27, Laxmi’s counsel argued that the allegations of her involvement had been restricted to circulating Maoist literature and that she had been drawn to the movement at a young age. She had also surrendered before the Udupi deputy commissioner. The counsel also submitted that the state had not paid her the financial assistance it had assured her. The state counsel did not raise objections to this before the court.
The bench also noted that the state had opposed the bail in the trial court while also declaring monetary assistance. “The records show that the State Government itself satisfied with the intention of
appellant’s surrender to join mainstream has even declared to provide her monetary package of Rs 7,50,000/-, monthly financial aid of Rs 5,000/-, skill building programmes for her etc., on her surrender. Still the State had opposed the application before the Trial Court,” the bench said in its order.
The high court granted her bail on condition that she execute a bond for Rs 50,000, appear before the court when required, and avoid tampering with witnesses in the cases.
