NEW DELHI — India’s top court on Friday rejected pleas by five rights activists that they be freed a month after being arrested for alleged links to Maoist rebels. The court, however, directed that the activists be held under house arrest for four more weeks to help them seek bail from lower courts while police in Maharashtra state complete their investigation. The court also rejected the activists’ plea for a court-monitored investigation into the allegations against them. The government says Maoist rebels are active in several states and pose India’s biggest internal security threat. In June, police arrested five other activists on suspicion of also inciting the Dalits, who have been marginalized for centuries and forced to perform jobs considered unacceptable by other castes.

Source: National Post September 28, 2018 09:09 UTC