December 2023 – free them all

Delhi police special cell questions Gautam Navlakha in NewsClick case

31/12/2023 Asha

‘NewsClick’ case: Gautam Navlakha questioned by Delhi Police

31/12/2023

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

The activist and is a shareholder of PPK NewsClick Studio Private Limited since 2018, according to the first information report in the case.
Activist Gautam Navlakha was on Saturday questioned by the Delhi Police in connection with a case against news website NewsClick filed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, reported PTI.
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Delhi police special cell questions Gautam Navlakha in NewsClick case

31/12/2023

Hindustan Times / by G Mohiuddin Jeddy

A team of the Delhi police special cell arrived in Mumbai on Saturday to question activist Gautam Navlakha in connection with the Newsclick foreign funding case. Navlakha is currently under house arrest in Navi Mumbai in the Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon violence case.
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Activist Gautam Navlakha to be questioned over foreign funding, links with ISI

24/12/2023

India Today / by Arvind Ojha

The special cell of Delhi police will question activist Gautam Navlakha about his alleged involvement with Chinese funding and a nexus with Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai, who was arrested by the FBI in the US.
The Delhi Police special cell will interrogate activist and journalist Gautam Navlakha at his residence in Mumbai next week, as part of the ongoing investigation into allegations of foreign funding and connections with Pakistan’s spy agency ISI.
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Delhi Police seek 3-month extension for NewsClick probe, to question Gautam Navlakha Wednesday

19/12/2023

The Print / by Bismee Taskin

Also accused in Bhima Koregaon case, activist Gautam Navlakha will be questioned in connection with ‘illegal funds’ which Delhi police claim were routed to NewsClick, it is learnt.
The Delhi police have sought a three-month extension before a court here to complete its investigation in the NewsClick case, ThePrint has learnt.
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Delhi Police gets permission to question rights activist Gautam Navlakha in Newsclick case

16/12/2023

The Indian Express / by Express News Service

The police want to question Navlakha, a shareholder of PPK Newsclick Studio Pvt Ltd, about illegal funds’ they accuse him to have received in the past five years
Delhi Police’s Special Cell has got a court’s permission to question human rights activist Gautam Navlakha, an accused in the UAPA case registered against him and staffers of the NewsClick website, at his home in Navi Mumbai, where he has been under house arrest in the Bhima Koregaon case.
Read more

Also read:
▪ Newsclick case: Portal’s HR head Chakravarty moves Delhi court seeking to turn approver (The New Indian Express / Dec 25, 2023)
▪ This Is the Biggest Crackdown on the Indian Press by the Indian State (The Wire / Oct 2023)

Gautam Navlakha has a tremendous archive of writings from the 1980s to the present, documented by The Friends of Gautam Navlakha.
To read some of his recent writings and a full list of his articles with NewsClick, Economic & Political Weekly and the platform Sanhati visit: Gautam Navlakha – Journalist, Human Rights Defender, Political Prisoner

Immediately withdraw pending Pathalgadi cases, including on late Stan Swamy: JJM

30/12/2023 Asha

Immediately withdraw pending pathalgadi cases, including on late Stan Swamy: JJM

02/01/2024

Countercurrents / by Representative

According to a recent RTI reply by the Superintendent of Police of Khunti, five pathalgadi cases of Khunti are yet to be withdrawn. It also includes the case registered against 20 activists and intellectuals, including Stan Swamy. Also, according to the RTI reply, another pathalgadi related case was registered in Khunti in March 2020 under the current Hemant Soren government. Of the total 21 cases registered by the Raghubar Das government in Khunti, 16 have been withdrawn.
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4 Years After Announcement, Govt Yet to Withdraw Cases Pending Against Pathalgadi Movement

30/12/2023

The Wire / by The Wire Staff

The pending cases name Stan Swamy along with 20 other activists and intellectuals associated with the movement. On 29 December 2019, Hemant Soren soon after taking the oath as chief minister had announced the withdrawal of all Pathalgadi cases.
Five cases registered in connection with the Pathalgadi movement in Jharkhand’s Kunti district are still pending to be withdrawn. Four years ago, in December 2019, when Jharkhand’s current chief minister Hemant Soren took over, he vowed to withdraw all cases in connection with the movement, filed under his predecessor Raghubar Das’s government.
Read more

Also read:
▪ Jharkhand police to probe into Maoist links with Stan Swamy’s ‘Bagaicha’, 63 other frontal organisations (The New Indian Express / Sep 2023)
▪ Can Father Stan Swamy’s PIL be the blueprint for justice to thousands of undertrials lodged under UAPA? (The Leaflet / Aug 2023)
▪ In Jharkhand, Scheduled Tribes Still Battle Flimsy Criminal Cases Filed With Little Evidence (IndiaSpend / Oct 2021)

Unjust detention: Gautam Navlakha’s bail victory highlights insufficient evidence

29/12/2023 Asha

Sabrang India / by Sabrang India

Granting bail to writer and activist, Gautam Navlakha in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case (Bhima Koregaon case), the Bombay High Court, found insufficient evidence to prima facie indicate Navlakha’s involvement in conspiring or executing terrorist acts
… The court’s assessment in the Gautam Navlakha bail hearing highlighted the lack of substantial material linking Navlakha to terrorist activities. It emphasized that his alleged membership with CPI (Maoist) could, at most, implicate him under sections 13 and 38 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, carrying a maximum punishment of ten years.
Read more

Also read:
▪ Charges for Navlakha’s protection under house arrest exceed ₹1 crore (Hindustan Times / Dec 2023)
▪ PUDR welcomes the Bombay High Court order granting regular bail to Gautam Navlakha (PUDR / Dec 2023)
▪ ‘Ominous portents’: Why High Court staying its own bail orders in Bhima Koregaon case is troubling (Scroll.in / Dec 2023)
▪ Bombay High Court grants, stays bail to Gautam Navlakha (The Leaflet / Dec 2023)

New forensic investigation reveals repeated use of Pegasus spyware to target high-profile journalists

28/12/2023 Asha

Damning new forensic investigation reveals repeated use of Pegasus spyware to target high-profile journalists

28/12/2023

Amnesty.org / by Amnesty International

Amnesty International, in partnership with The Washington Post, has unearthed shocking new details about the continued use of NSO Group’s highly invasive spyware Pegasus to target prominent journalists in India, including one who had previously been a victim of an attack using the same spyware.
Read more

Amnesty International Letter to the Technical Committee appointed by the Supreme Court of India

15/02/2022

Amnesty.org / by Amnesty International

In this letter, dated 15 February 2022, Amnesty International responds to the questions posed by the Technical Committee appointed by the Supreme Court of India to investigate the use of Pegasus in India, received by email on 7 February 2022.
Read / download letter

Human Rights Defenders Targeted by a Coordinated Spyware Operation

15/06/2020

Amnesty.org / by Amnesty International

Nine human rights defenders, most of whom have been fighting for the release of the Bhima Koregaon 11 through litigation, research, or activism, were unlawfully targeted with a spyware attack
Read more

Also Read:
▪ Why Courts Are Ignoring Concerns Of Planted Evidence In The Bhima-Koregaon Prosecution (article14 / Jan 2023)
▪ Leaked Data Shows Surveillance Net in Elgar Parishad Case May Have Crossed a Line (The Wire / July 2021)

Excerpts from ‘From Phansi Yard: My Year with Women of Yerawada’ by Sudha Bharadwaj

26/12/2023 Asha

By People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL)

Sudha Bharadwaj’s recently published book ‘From Phansi Yard: My Year with the Women of Yerawada’ is a tenderly written collection of her memories, through which one gets to witness her resilient spirit, and yet, her vulnerabilities. In the book, she observes, reflects and chronicles stories of women prisoners, prison conditions and her own journey.
… The book begins with an interview, in which she narrates her story, her memories of the beginning of her activism, her relationship with her daughter and the work she did with the Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha. Here are some excerpts from the book, that illustrate the warmth and compassion with which she wrote about her fellow prisoners (whom she has numbered and left anonymous), and her unyielding courage with which she survived incarceration.
Read more

From Phansi Yard: My Year with the Women of Yerawada

Author: Sudha Bhardwaj
Publisher: Juggernaut
Pages: 216
Order

Also watch/read:

● Video – Book Release: Why is the state afraid of Sudha Bharadwaj?

By People’s Union for Civil Liberties, Jan 2021en + hindi | 2h 53min | 2021

Topic: Why is the state afraid of Sudha Bharadwaj?
A long interview conducted with Sudha over several days before she was arrested is now being published as an online book “Sudha Bharadwaj Speaks – A Life in Law and Activism”, and will be released at this webinar by the well-known writer, Nayantara Sahgal. Sudha’s daughter, Maaysha, her lawyer Yug Chaudhary, social activist Harsh Mandar, historian Uma Chakravarti amongst other coworkers & colleagues, will also share their experiences and memories of working with her.
Watch video @ PUCL Facebook (videos)

● Sudha Bharadwaj speaks – A Life in Law and Activism

Publisher: Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL)
Edition: January 2021
Language: English
Sudha Bharadwaj’s interview by: Darshana Mitra and Santanu Chakraborty
Paperback: 316 pages
Access a free PDF copy of the book here:
Sudha_Bharadwaj_speaks (2,1 MB)

● Video: The Conditions of Prisoners in Indian Jails

By All India Lawyers’ Association for Justice – AILAJ | March 2022

en | 1:21:23 | 2022
The huge number of undertrials, the overcrowding, and the disproportional numbers of Dalit, Muslim and Adivasi prisoners are part of the prison problem in India.
We are joined by Adv. Sudha Bharadwaj for a discussion on the Conditions of Prisoners in Indian Jails.
Watch video

A look at charges against Hindutva leader Ekbote in 2018 Koregaon Bhima violence

26/12/2023 Asha

Pune Crime Files: A look at charges against Hindutva leader Ekbote and court observations in 2018 Koregaon Bhima violence

26/12/2023

The Indian Express / by Chandan Haygunde

Widespread violence broke out in Koregaon Bhima area on January 1, 2018, when a few lakh people, mainly the Ambedkarites, had gathered to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the battle between the British Army and Peshwa forces.
Preparations are in full swing at the ‘Jaystambh’, a British war memorial at Pune’s Perne village, to mark the 206th anniversary of the battle of Koregaon Bhima that was fought between the British Army and Peshwa forces on January 1, 1818.
Read more

6 years, 14 extensions later Koregaon Bhima Commission’s work still unfinished

26/12/2023

Hindustan Times / by Nadeem Inamdar, Yogesh Joshi

It has been six years since the caste conflict broke out at Koregaon Bhima and the work of the Commission to probe into the events that led to the clashes is yet to be completed after 14 extensions
As the 206th anniversary of the battle of Koregaon Bhima draws near, Pune district administration has teamed up with the law enforcing agencies to monitor social media to avoid any untoward incident.
Read more

Also Read:
● Top Investigating Officer Admits Elgar Parishad Event ‘Had No Role’ in Bhima Koregaon Violence (The Wire / Dec 2022)
● Bhima Koregaon Violence: Four Different Theories, but No Justice in Sight (The Wire / Jan 2022)
● Ekbote instigated Koregaon Bhima violence, Elgaar Parishad organiser tells panel (The Indian Express / Sep 2021)
● India’s Hindu Nationalist Project Relies on Brutal Repression (Jacobinmag / April 2021)

PUDR welcomes the Bombay High Court order granting regular bail to Gautam Navlakha

21/12/2023 Asha

pudr.org / Peoples Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR)

PUDR welcomes the Bombay High Court order granting regular bail to Gautam Navlakha, a well-known civil rights activist, author, and journalist, on December 19, 2023. The two-member bench comprising Justices AS Gadkari and Shivkumar Dige ruled that based on a perusal of the documents presented, there was no material evidence to infer Gautam Navlakha’s involvement in terrorist acts as shown in the chargesheet against him under sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) by the National Investigating Agency (NIA).
Read full statement

Also read:
● PUDR welcomes the release on bail of Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira today, but protests onerous bail conditions (PUDR / Aug 2023)
● Five years behind bars for five activists – Without bail, without charges being framed, without justice! (PUDR / June 2023)

‘Ominous portents’: Why High Court staying its own bail orders in Bhima Koregaon case is troubling

21/12/2023 Asha

Scroll.in / by Vineet Bhalla

Mahesh Raut was granted bail in September but he remains in prison. A similar fate might await Gautam Navlakha, who was granted bail on Tuesday.
More than five years after he was arrested in the Bhima Koregaon case, journalist and activist Gautam Navlakha was finally granted bail by the Bombay High Court on Tuesday. However, he is unlikely to walk out of prison soon.
Another person accused in the case, activist Mahesh Raut, was granted bail by the High Court in September. Nearly four months later, he is still in prison.
Read more

Also read:
● Supreme Court extends stay on bail granted to Mahesh Raut again (The Leaflet / Oct 2023)
● Supreme Court extends stay on bail granted to Mahesh Raut (The Leaflet / Sep 27, 2023)
● Bhima Koregaon: Bombay High Court grants regular bail to Mahesh Raut (The Leaflet / Sep 21, 2023)

Bombay HC grants bail to Gautam Navlakha but stays order for NIA to file appeal [read order]

19/12/2023 Asha

No evidence to show Bhima Koregaon accused Gautam Navlakha was involved in terrorist act: Bombay High Court [read order]

21/12/2023

Bar & Bench / by Neha Joshi

The Court the evidence on record indicated that Navlakha can at the most be said to have been a member of the banned CPI (Maoist) and therefore, it would only attract offences under Sections 13 and 38 of UAPA.
There is no prima facie evidence to show that activist Gautam Navlakha was involved in any terrorist act under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), the Bombay High Court observed while granting him bail in the Bhima Koregaon case of 2018. [Gautam Navlakha v. National Investigation Agency & Ors.]
Read more
Read order

No material to show that Gautam Navlakha committed terrorist act, says Bombay HC in bail order

21/12/2023

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

The court allowed the activist’s bail petition on Tuesday, and the detailed judgement was made public on Wednesday.
The Bombay High Court said on Tuesday that there was no material to suggest that activist and journalist Gautam Navlakha had committed a terrorist act as defined by the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Read more

Bombay High Court Grants Bail To Journalist Gautam Navlakha In Bhima Koregaon – Elgar Parishad Case [read order]

20/12/2023

Live Law / by Sharmeen Hakim

There is no material to infer senior journalist and accused Gautam Navlakha had committed a terrorist Act as contemplated under Section 15 of UAPA, the Bombay High Court observed in its detailed order granting him bail in the Bhima Koregaon – Elgar Parishad Case.
“The actual involvement of the appellant in any terrorist act cannot be even inferred from any of the communications and/ or statements of the witnesses,” the court observed.
Read more
Read order

Bombay High Court grants, stays bail to Gautam Navlakha

19/12/2023

The Leaflet / by Sarah Thanawala

Following a concerning trend, a Bench of Justices A.S. Gadkari and Shivkumar Dige has allowed a stay of three weeks on the bail Order.
On Tuesday, the Bombay High Court granted bail to journalist and human rights activist Gautam Navlakha.
Read more

Bombay High Court Grants Bail To Gautam Navlakha In Bhima Koregaon Case; Stays Order For 3 Weeks

19/12/2023

Live Law / by Livelaw News Network

The Bombay High Court has granted bail to senior journalist and activist Gautam Navlakha, an accused in the Bhima Koregaon- Elgar Parishad case over alleged Maoist links.
The order was passed by a division bench headed by Justice AS Gadkari, making him the seventh accused to be granted bail in the the case.
After the NIA urged the court to stay the order for a period of six weeks, the court stayed the order for three weeks.
Read more

Bombay High Court Grants Bail to Gautam Navlakha

19/12/2023

Bar & Bench / by Neha Joshi

He is the seventh accused to get bail in the Bhima Koregaon case after Sudha Bharadwaj, Varavara Rao, Anand Teltumbde, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira.
The Bombay High Court on Tuesday granted bail to activist Gautam Navlakha, accused in Bhima Koregaon riot case of 2018.
A division bench of Justices AS Gadkari and SG Dige imposed the same conditions for bail on Navlakha as imposed on the co-accused, Anand Teltumbde and Mahesh Raut.
Read more

Bombay High Court Grants Bail to Gautam Navlakha in Elgar Parishad Case

19/12/2023

The Wire / by The Wire Staff

The court has put a three-week stay on its decision in which the National Investigation Agency can approach the Supreme Court.
… Five of the accused – lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj, poet Varavara Rao, academic Anand Teltumbe, lawyer Arun Ferreira and activist Vernon Gonsalves – are currently out on bail. Father Stan Swamy, a tribal rights activist and Jesuit priest, passed away while in custody.
Activist Mahesh Raut was granted bail in September, but remains in jail as the stay on that decision was extended.
Read more

Bombay High Court asks probe agency NIA for ‘correct facts’ in Elgar Parishad case

19/12/2023 Asha

India Today / by Vidya

The Bombay High Court has told the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to give a proper response to a request from some of the Elgar Parishad accused who are seeking default bail. The court mentioned that there are incorrect facts in the documents submitted.
While observing that “incorrect facts are stated in the pleadings”, the Bombay High Court has directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to file a proper reply to the petition filed by some of the accused in the Elgar Parishad case while praying for default bail.
… The court then adjourned the hearing of the petitions to January 16.
Read more

● Bombay High Court rejects default bail plea of Varavara Rao and seven other accused (The Leaflet / May 2022)
● Bombay HC grants default bail to Sudha Bharadwaj, but declines the same to eight other accused (The Leaflet / Dec 2021)