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Month: August 2019

Open letter to Mumbai judge: Books as evidence is ridiculous

Open letter to Mumbai judge: Books as evidence is ridiculous

The Leaflet / by A J Philip

It is easy for the police to conclude that if I have read dozens of detective novels, which are mostly about murders, I have a murderous inclination. The truth is that I can’t even slaughter a chicken, though I may relish it when it is roasted and served on the table.

Dear Justice Sarang Kotwal,
First of all, I owe an apology to you. I was misled by a news-report that you questioned why Vernon Gonsalves, an academic accused of being an urban Naxal, kept the voluminous Russian Classic, Leo Tolstoy’s “War and Peace”, in his personal collection of books.
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‘Bharadwaj held on basis of documents seized from hard disk of other accused’

‘Bharadwaj held on basis of documents seized from hard disk of other accused’


Aug 28, 2019 in Raipur

The Indian Express / by Express News Service

Sudha Bharadwaj was arrested by the Pune City Police on August 28, last year, in connection with the Elgaar Parishad case, for her alleged links with the banned CPI-Maoist.
While arguing in favour of her bail application before the Bombay High Court, an advocate representing activist Sudha Bharadwaj said on Friday that not a single document relied upon by the Pune Police against her was recovered from her electronic devices.
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Junglemahal is a book on peace process with Maoists. But it frightens the Indian state

Junglemahal is a book on peace process with Maoists. But it frightens the Indian state

The Print / by Ashutosh Bharadwaj

War and Peace in Junglemahal: People, State and Maoists was seized from activist Vernon Gonsalves’ home during a raid last year in Elgar Parishad case.
Soon after becoming the chief minister in May 2011, Mamata Banerjee initiated peace talks with the Maoists who had been holding out in Junglemahal, an area stretching over Bankura, Birbhum, Purluia and parts of West Midnapur districts. The talks failedwithin months. The namesake of Leo Tolstoy’s masterpiece, War and Peace, which surfaced in the Bombay High Court recently, is a collection of essays and grassroots voices penned by eminent writers, activists, academics and lawyers as they discuss the Maoist issue in the aftermath of the talks.
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Sudha Bharadwaj’s Counsel Questions Admissibility Of Letters That Allegedly Incriminate Her

Sudha Bharadwaj’s Counsel Questions Admissibility Of Letters That Allegedly Incriminate Her


Sudha Bharadwaj

Live Law / by Nitish Kashap

Before the bench of Justice S V Kotwal of Bombay High Court, Dr.Yug Mohit Chaudhary began his submissions on Friday.
Appearing for Sudha Bharadwaj, a human rights lawyer and trade unionist who has been in jail for over a year, Dr.Chaudhary submitted that his client’s laptop, pen drive, mobile phone and hard drive were seized by the police but they did not find anything, hence they are not relying upon any any document recovered from me, Chaudhary argued.
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Bombay HC Expresses Displeasure Over Remarks Wrongly Attributed To Judge

Bombay HC Expresses Displeasure Over Remarks Wrongly Attributed To Judge

Livelaw.in / by Nitish Kashyap

On Day 3 of the daily hearings in bail application filed by accused in the Bhima Koregaon violence Senior Advocate Mihir Desai concluded his submissions on Thursday seeking bail for 61-year-old academic Vernon Gonsalves accused under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
When the hearing began, Dr. Yug Mohit Chaudhary, appearing for Sudha Bharadwaj referred to the reports from various media outlets and said the book seized from Vernon Gonsalves’s home was ‘War and Peace in Junglemahal’ by Biswajit Roy not Tolstoy.
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One year later: process has become punishment, say activists’ family members

One year later: process has become punishment, say activists’ family members

The Hindu / by Sonam Saigal

It has been a year since poet Varavara Rao, unionist and human rights lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj, and activists Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira have been arrested and charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for their alleged links with the CPI (Maoist) and for their alleged role in the Bhima-Koregaon violence.
Their family members, who spoke to The Hindu on Wednesday, said, “The process has become the punishment”, and it is extremely disheartening that it has become very difficult for them to even get bail.
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