Relief to Sudha Bharadwaj is welcome. Prolonged imprisonment of other Bhima Koregaon accused must also be questioned

04/12/2021

The Indian Express / by Editorial

The Bhima Koregaon/Elgar Parishad case is the most prominent example of what has become the standard “process as punishment” in UAPA cases.
The Bombay High Court’s decision to grant default bail to lawyer-activist Sudha Bharadwaj is welcome, even if it comes after three long years of incarceration without trial. It must also turn the spotlight on the prolonged imprisonment — also without trial — of those accused under the UAPA in the Elgar Parishad case.
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Pique and petulance: On Sudha Bharadwaj’s bail and NIA’s appeal

04/12/2021

The Hindu / by Editorial

The NIA’s appeal against Sudha Bharadwaj’s bail order reveals its bull-headedness.
In filing a quick appeal against the grant of statutory bail to lawyer-activist Sudha Bharadwaj, the NIA has displayed nothing but pique and petulance over a well-reasoned order of the Bombay High Court. The bail order itself is a much-delayed relief, considering that the right to ‘default bail’ had accrued to her as early as January 2019, on completing 90 days in prison and when there was neither a charge sheet nor a lawful order extending the time limit for filing it from 90 to 180 days.
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Will the Sudha Bharadwaj Bail Order Affect the Bhima Koregaon Case as a Whole

04/12/2021

The Quint / by Vakasha Sachdev

The Bombay HC’s order may not affect the merits of the case, but the issues raised could have major consequences.
As soon as the Bombay High Court held on 1 December that Sudha Bharadwaj, the reputed activist and lawyer who is an accused in the Bhima Koregaon case, was entitled to be released on default bail, certain questions became inevitable.
First, how quickly would the NIA file an appeal against the judgment in the Supreme Court? (Answer: Very quickly, by the evening of 2 December)
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Failure to take cognisance of chargesheet does not entail default bail under UAPA: Bombay HC

04/12/2021

Sabrangindia / by Sanchita Kadam

A closer look at why the court granted bail to Sudha Bharadwaj, but denied it to her eight co-accused in the Bhima Koregaon case.
On December 1, the Bombay High Court granted bail to lawyer-activist Sudha Bharadwaj vide a detailed order and in the same order denied bail to other eight co-accused in the Bhima Koregaon case, purely on technicality. Since the grounds raised by Bharadwaj were different from those raised by the eight others, her contention was accepted and agreeable to the bench of Justices SS Shinde and NJ Jamadar.
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