Lawyer-activist Sudha Bharadwaj under house arrest

After a midnight hearing, the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) - Faridabad barred human rights lawyer-activist, Sudha Bharadwaj, from being taken to Pune, and ordered that she be kept under house arrest till August 30. There was a huge sigh of relief.

Bharadwaj was arrested for allegedly having Maoist links, after her house in Faridabad was raided by the Pune police on Tuesday.

In addition to Sudha, four other social activists, poets and lawyers were arrested after simultaneous raids by the Pune police in connection with the Bhima Koregaon violence.

Her lawyers approached the Punjab and Haryana high court following the dismissal of her transit bail application by a local magistrate.

Her lawyers, alleged that the even after the high court's order, the Pune Police whisked her away from the house of the Chief Judicial Magistrate.

"This is a contempt of court," said her lawyer Sanjeev Chaudhary.

"They are neither respecting the order of the High Court, nor are they disclosing the whereabouts of a woman in their custody. This is an extremely serious situation and a brazen violation of the court's order," said her advocate Vrinda Grover.

Later, Bharadwaj was spotted sitting in a car outside the magistrate's house and she was taken inside for a hearing on the next steps.

Grover told media, "The CJM has gone to the residence of the district judge for advice on the matter. It is midnight and the counsels are waiting at the residence of the CJM while Sudha Bharadwaj is being detained in a vehicle on the road."

Around 1 am, the magistrate granted Bharadwaj house arrest and asked the police to comply with the high court order.

Bharadwaj, is known for advocating for the rights of the tribals in various cases. Her friends and family members have denied allegations of Maoists link.