Delhi police 'happy' to get maoist leader Kobad Ghandy

The Delhi police today said that they were "happy" to get top maoist leader Kobad Ghandy, whom they describe as a "treasure trove of information on naxals" even as his lawyer alleged that the manner in which his remand was obtained was a violation of his rights.

"He is a member of the powerful central committee and Politburo of the CPI (Maoist). We believe that he is privy to many secrets of the banned outfit," the official said. Ghandy, whose 14-day judicial custody is to end tomorrow, was produced in a court which sent him to three-day police custody.

No lawyer represented him in the court today and he argued his case himself. The Maoist's lawyer Rebecca Mammen Mathew alleged that she was not informed on time so that she or her juniors could appear before the court.

"I got a call at around 1:30 pm from the agencies saying that Ghandy will be produced in the court at 2 pm. I am upset at the clandestine way the agencies manage to take remand of accused. There was no prior information. This cat and mouse game by the prosecution has violated the constitutional rights of the accused," she told PTI.  

"It is not about getting bail or sending him to police custody. There is something called courtesy. There should be a degree of fairness," Mathew said. Lawyers are also likely to move an application in the court tomorrow seeking an audience with Ghandy.

The committee for release of political prisoners, an NGO which is providing legal aid for Ghandy, said they were concerned about his health. Ghandy is suffering from prostrate cancer and cardiac problems, they said.

Seeking his remand for five days, Delhi Police told the court that Ghandy used nine aliases and was allegedly found to be establishing a "base" for naxal activities in the capital.

"I think it is exaggeration by the state that the person who writes for Maoists can be termed as big catch. Those who are working at the grass-root level," he said inside the courtroom in a response to police claiming that he was a "big catch".

Ghandy was arrested on September 21 by the special cell of the Delhi Police. An alumni of the prestigious Doon School, Ghandy was in the top echelons of erstwhile CPI-ML (People's War group) from 1981 and then became a Central Committee member of the CPI (Maoist). He was elected to CPI (Maoist) Politburo in 2007.