Mumbai, December 19: The Maharashtra state prosecution on Wednesday submitted draft charges against 19 accused in the Elgar Parishad case. There are 16 charges mentioned in the prosecution's draft including "conspiracy to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi" and "waging war against country". The draft said that all 19 accused hatched a conspiracy to carry out Rajiv Gandhi assassination-type attack to kill PM Narendra Modi. Uddhav Thackeray: Will Drop Charges Against Dalit Activists in Bhima-Koregaon Violence Case.

Of 16 charges mentioned in the prosecution's draft, eight are under the anti-terror Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and remaining under the Indian Penal Code, Times of India reported. The prosecution submitted the draft to special UAPA judge S R Navander who is likely to hear the arguments on the charges on January 1. He will decide whether the charges can be framed against the accused that will pave the way for the beginning of a trial in the Elgar Parishad case. 'Urban Naxals': Who Are Being Referred to and Why is the Term Trending After Bhima Koregaon Raids?

The draft stated that all 19 accused "...conspired to wage a war against the (central and state) government and for the same conspired to demand and organise Rs 8 crore for annual supply of M-4 (sophisticated weapon) with 4,00,000 rounds and other arms and ammunition through designated supplier from Nepal and Manipur, and conspired to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the lines of Rajiv Gandhi type of incident during his roadshows…"

Pune police which probed the Elgar Parishad case said that a letter recovered from one of the arrested accused revealed that a conspiracy was being framed to plan a Rajiv Gandhi like assassination to take down PM Modi. A gathering was called by the Elgar Parishad at Pune's Shaniwar Wada on December 31, 2017. Caste-based violence had broken out in Bhima Koregaon the next day in which 28-year-old youth, Rahul Patangale, was killed.

The 19 accused arrested in connection with the Elgar Parishad case include the nine activists, including human rights lawyers, academics and writers. As many as 152 people were booked in 58 separate cases related to caste-based violence.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 19, 2019 09:36 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).