Asha – free them all

Hany Babu denied permission to go to Kerala

20/03/2026 Asha

The Indian Express / by Express News Service

Babu was granted bail by the Bombay High Court in December 2025, over five years since his arrest in the case.
Rejecting a plea filed by Delhi University associate professor and Elgaar Parishad accused Hany Babu for permission to stay in Kerala for two months with his mother, a special court in Mumbai said he was allowed last month for a visit, and should consider moving her to Mumbai if he wants to reside with her.
Read more

Also read:
▪ ‘Can’t travel beyond SC’: NIA court says no to activist Varavara Rao’s relocation plea (The Print / March 2026)
▪ Hany Babu permitted to travel to Kerala to meet mother, court allows law enforcement agencies to monitor his whereabouts (The Indian Express / Feb 2026)
▪ Me Coming Out Alive Is A Miracle: Hany Babu, Bhima-Koregaon Accused, On Life Behind Bars (Outlook / Jan 2026)
▪ After five years behind bars, Bombay High Court grants bail to Prof. Hany Babu (CJP / Dec 2025)

‘Can’t travel beyond SC’: NIA court says no to activist Varavara Rao’s relocation plea

19/03/2026 Asha

NIA court rejects Varavara Rao’s plea

19/03/2026

Times of India / by TNN

A special NIA court this week rejected the plea of 85-year-old poet and activist P Varavara Rao to permanently relocate to his hometown of Hyderabad on medical and financial grounds.
Rao sought the relief on the ground that living in Mumbai has become a financial burden, noting that while his monthly pension is approximately Rs 50,000 rupees, while his living expenses in the city exceed Rs 77,000. The activist stated that relying on his children to bridge this financial gap was “affecting his dignity and self independence.”
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‘Can’t travel beyond SC’: NIA court says no to activist Varavara Rao’s relocation plea

18/03/2026

The Print / by pti

A special NIA court in Mumbai has refused permission to poet-activist Varavara Rao, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, to permanently relocate to his hometown Hyderabad, citing lack of authority to modify bail conditions set by the Supreme Court.
Rao (85), in a plea, had sought permission from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) court for relocating to his hometown on grounds of advanced age and financial hardship.
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Also read:
▪ Voices From Prison: Alienating A Poet From A Language He Deeply Loves Is Painful, Writes Varavara Rao’s Daughter (Outlook / Jan 2026)
▪ Activist Varavara Rao’s request to travel for dental surgery rejected (Scroll.in / Oct 2025)
▪ SC refuses to hear plea of P Varavara Rao on bail modification (Hindustan Times / Sep 2025)
▪ Supreme Court grants permanent medical bail to P. Varavara Rao in Bhima Koregaon case (The Leaflet / Aug 2022)

Public Meeting at Press Club of India Demands Release of People’s Lawyer Surendra Gadling

13/03/2026 Asha

Public Meeting at Press Club of India Demands Release of People’s Lawyer Surendra Gadling

13/03/2026

The Mooknayak English / by Campaign Against State Repression (CASR)

Activist Surendra Gadling is detained for his human rights and civil rights work for marginalized religious communities.

Press Release by Campaign Against State Repression
New Delhi, 12 March

Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) organised a public meeting at the Press Club of India on 12 March demanding the immediate release of people’s lawyer Surendra Gadling, who has been incarcerated in the Bhima Koregaon case. Lawyers, journalists, and academics addressed the gathering, highlighting the implications of the case for democratic rights, civil liberties, and the independence of the legal profession.
Read the full press release

By Manish Azad (March 2, 2026:)
Join Public Meeting in Solidarity with People’s Advocate Surendra Gadling
Release Surendra Gadling immediately !!
Release All Political Prisoners !!

Also read:
▪ CASR Condemns Abduction and Brutal Torture of Activists by Delhi Police Special Cell (Countercurrents.org / March 18, 2026)

▪ Surendra Gadling and the justice that must be seen to be denied (Frontline / Feb 2026)
▪ Explained: The 2016 Surjagarh arson case, the Elgaar link, and why the Supreme Court is intervening now (The Indian Express / Jan 2026)
▪ 6 yrs, no charges framed – Surendra Gadling stuck in trial limbo in 2016 Surajgarh arson case (The Print / Sep 2025)
▪ In Surendra Gadling’s case, adjournment becomes the verdict (Frontline / Aug 2025)
▪ How Long is Too Long? – On the Maximum Period that an Undertrial Prisoner can be Detained (Constitutional Law and Philosophy | by Hany Babu and Surendra Gadling | Oct 2024)
▪ Gadling in jail. Reason? As lawyer-activist he has been ‘unpleasant’ to India’s topcops (Counterview / Dec 2020)

Surendra Gadling’s plea to inspect mirror image rejected, court says obligated to decide plea within 4 weeks

13/03/2026 Asha

March 12, 2026. Shared by Naresh / @NareshS82042464

The Indian Express / by Express News Service

In January, the Supreme Court said that it would order expediting the proceedings as Gadling remains behind bars for seven years since his arrest in 2019, with the trial yet to commence.
The sessions court in Aheri, Gadchiroli, has rejected a plea filed by lawyer Surendra Gadling, accused in the 2016 Surjagarh arson case, seeking access to mirror images of electronic devices as part of the evidence against him. The Supreme Court has directed the trial court to expedite the hearing on Gadling’s discharge plea, pending since 2022.
Read more

Also read:
▪ Surendra Gadling and the justice that must be seen to be denied (Frontline / Feb 2026)
▪ Explained: The 2016 Surjagarh arson case, the Elgaar link, and why the Supreme Court is intervening now (The Indian Express / Jan 2026)
▪ In Surendra Gadling’s case, adjournment becomes the verdict (Frontline / Aug 2025)
▪ Why Courts Are Ignoring Concerns Of Planted Evidence In The Bhima-Koregaon Prosecution (article14 / Jan 2023)
▪ Surendra Gadling’s Computer Was Attacked, Incriminating Documents Planted: Arsenal Consulting (The Wire / July 2021)
▪ Gadling in jail. Reason? As lawyer-activist he has been ‘unpleasant’ to India’s topcops (Counterview / Dec 2020)
▪ DISINHERITING ADIVASIS – THE GADCHIROLI GAME PLAN (KAFILA / June 2018)

Artists, Educators, Publishers Speak Out Against ‘Rising Attempts’ to Stifle Their Voices

12/03/2026 Asha

The Wire / by The Wire Staff

“These attacks have taken place in various forms, but each follows a pattern of impunity enabled by a rising culture of intolerance and suppression.”
A collective of artists, authors, publishers and educators have issued a statement condemning “rising attempts” to curtail free speech and creative voices in India. Referring to incidents including Anand Teltumbde’s panel being cancelled at the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival and water being thrown at historian S. Irfan Habib, the signatories say that “these disruptions set a dangerous precedent if left unaddressed in the current political climate”.
Read more / the full statement

Also read:
▪ Mumbai Press Club Bars Elgar Parishad Defendants’ Entry, Issues Show-Cause Notice to Member (The Wire / March 2026)
▪ ‘Controversy best avoided’: Kala Ghoda festival director after Anand Teltumbde book event cancelled (Scroll.in / Feb 2026)
▪ Stan Swamy Lecture Cancelled – A Case Study in India’s Shrinking Space for Dissent (The Print / Aug 2025)

Mumbai Press Club Bars Elgar Parishad Defendants’ Entry, Issues Show-Cause Notice to Member

04/03/2026 Asha

‘Myopic view’: Mumbai Press Club notice to journalist for ‘hosting’ Bhima Koregaon accused sparks backlash

05/03/2026

The Print / by Niyati Kothiyal

Journalist Gurbir Singh says he was only a participant at the gathering, didn’t invite attendees. Other members say the club is ‘mandated to allow free flow of views, debates & events’.
A showcause notice by the Mumbai Press Club to a member and former president for ‘facilitating entry and presence’ of individuals accused in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence case at a gathering has drawn criticism from other members for taking a “myopic” stance.
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Mumbai Press Club Bars Elgar Parishad Defendants’ Entry, Issues Show-Cause Notice to Member

04/03/2026

The Wire / by Sukanya Shantha

The Press Club’s decision is strange as the club had hosted a book launch event for Anand Teltumbde’s book, ‘Iconoclast: A Reflective Biography of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’ only a few months ago.
In a rather strange stand, the Mumbai Press Club has claimed that allowing human rights defenders and academics incarcerated in the infamous Elgar Parishad case into the premises will bring “disrepute” to the club.
The Press Club, once known for its liberal credentials, issued a show-cause notice to one of its members, Gurbir Singh, for allegedly “making arrangements for a visit” by a few of the Elgar Parishad defendants to the club premises in January.
Read more

Also read:
▪ SNDT University cancels lecture by feminist historian Uma Chakravarti (Scroll.in / März 2026)
▪ Anand Patwardhan Stopped from Entering Mumbai University: Here’s What Happened (The Wire / March 2026)
▪ ‘Controversy best avoided’: Kala Ghoda festival director after Anand Teltumbde book event cancelled (Scroll.in / Feb 2026)
▪ Stan Swamy Lecture Cancelled – A Case Study in India’s Shrinking Space for Dissent (The Print / Aug 2025)
▪ What makes an Urban Naxal? (MR online/ Sep 2018)
▪ #MeTooUrbanNaxal Goes Viral, Here’s Why (Outlook / Aug 2018)

Iftar gathers families of political prisoners, calls for sustained solidarity

01/03/2026 Asha

Iftar and Solidarity Meet for Political Prisoners Held in Kurla

02/03/2026

Muslim Mirror / by Muslim Mirror

An iftar, dua and public meeting in solidarity with political prisoners was held at CESA, Kurla (West), on February 28, organised by Innocence Network India. Now in its eighth year, the annual gathering drew former prisoners and their families which nearly made 80% of the audiences.
…
A message from Rona Wilson, an accused in the Bhima Koregaon case who was unable to attend, was read out at the venue. In it, he said that when large numbers of people are subjected to incarceration and prolonged legal battles, such gatherings were necessary to renew solidarity and sustain the pursuit of justice.
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Iftar gathers families of political prisoners, calls for sustained solidarity

02/03/2026

Maktoobmedia / by Maktoob Staff

An iftar, dua and public meeting in solidarity with political prisoners was held at the Centre for Study of Society and Secularism (CESA) in Kurla (West) on February 28. Organised by Innocence Network India, the annual gathering, now in its eighth year, drew former prisoners and their families, who organisers said made up nearly 80 per cent of the audience.
Read more

Also read:
▪ Voices From Prison | A Legacy Of Detention: Weaponisation Of PDA, TADA, NSA And UAPA Laws Since Independence (Outlook / Jan 2026)
▪ Incarceration As Politics: A Timeline Of Political Prisoners In Independent India (Outlook / Jan 2026)
▪ Who Is a ‘Political Prisoner’? Rona Wilson Says Caste and Religion Are Key to the Answer (The Wire / Feb 2025)
▪ Justice On Hold: How India’s Trial Courts Are Creating a New Class of Political Prisoners—Those Accused Of ‘Terrorism’ (article 14 / Dec 2025)
▪ How The Indian Prison System Denies Basic Freedoms, Rights And Dignity To Political Prisoners (The Polis Project / Jun 2024)

With 21st extension, Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry gets time till May 31

23/02/2026 Asha

Booklet: “Salaakhon Mein Qaid Avaazein” (Access PDF)

The Indian Express / by Chandan Haygunde

The Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry is currently examining retired IAS officer and author Vishwas Patil in connection with his novel ‘Sambhaji’, based on the life of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj.
The Maharashtra Government has extended the tenure of the Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry till May 31. This is the 21st extension granted to the commission investigating the violence that took place on January 1, 2018, during the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Koregaon Bhima.
Read more

Also read:
▪ Why caste Hindutva, not an Elgar conspiracy, is at the root of the Bhima Koregaon violence (The Polis Project / Feb 2025)
▪ Book Excerpt | How Bhima Koregaon Became a Trope for Dalit Pride and Assertion (The Wire / June 2024)
▪ India’s Hindu Nationalist Project Relies on Brutal Repression (Jacobinmag / April 2021)
▪ Why peoples’ coalitions are uniting against Hindutva — the ‘new Peshwai’ (Dailyo.in │ by Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves │ Jan 2018)
▪ The Myth of Bhima Koregaon Reinforces the Identities It Seeks to Transcend (The Wire | Anand Teltumbde | Jan 2018)

CASR Condemns NIA Notice to Anti-Displacement Activist Damodar Turi

23/02/2026 Asha

Countercurrents.org / by Campaign Against State Repression (CASR)

The Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) strongly condemns the recent actions of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Hyderabad, which has issued a notice to Damodar Turi, a long-time anti-displacement activist, in connection with FIR RC-04/2025/HYDERABAD. This case, initiated two months ago, is yet another example of the state’s ongoing harassment of individuals who challenge the exploitation and marginalization of indigenous communities, particularly those resisting displacement due to mining and industrialization.
Damodar Turi, a dedicated activist for over three decades, has been at the forefront of movements against the forced displacement of Adivasis and indigenous communities in Jharkhand and across India. As a founding member of the Visthapan Virodhi Jan Vikas Andolan (VVJVA), a pan-India anti-displacement organization, Damodar Turi has worked alongside other prominent human rights advocates, including Stan Swamy and B.D. Sharma, to raise awareness about the systematic dispossession of tribal people from their land in the name of development.
Read full statement

Also read:
▪ Voices From Prison | Half-Freedom For Adivasis Jailed On Maoist Allegations (Outlook / Jan 2026)
▪ Voices From Prison | From Forest To Prison, When Security Laws Criminalise Adivasi Resistance (Outlook / Jan 2026)
▪ Will anti-Naxal drive pave way for mining giants? (The New Indian Express / May 2025)
▪ Top intellectual targeted for role as anti-displacement activist, opponent of ‘corporate loot’ (Sep 2024)
▪ Jharkhand police to probe into Maoist links with Stan Swamy’s ‘Bagaicha’, 63 other frontal organisations (The New Indian Express / Sep 2023)
▪ CASR: Release activists incarcerated in Bhima Koregaon Case (Countercurrents.org / June 2023)
▪ NIA Opposes Stan Swamy’s Bail; Calls PUCL, Visthapan Virodhi Jan Vikas Andolan ‘Maoist Fronts’ (The Wire / Jan 2021)

“Bhima Koregaon” prosecution: The punishment continues

22/02/2026 Asha

pudr.org / by People’s Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR)

Five years and five months after their arrest in the “Bhima Koregaon” case on 7 September 2020, Sagar Gorkhe and Ramesh Gaichor were granted bail by the Bombay High Court on 23 January 2026 and released. The detailed order that was uploaded by the court recently grants bail on grounds of delay in trial and parity with co-accused already on bail. Sagar Gorkhe and Ramesh Gaichor are cultural activists. The bail order’s importance is in its application of the consistent jurisprudence of the Supreme Court on delay and infringement of fundamental rights of prisoners.
Read full statement

▪ Bhima Koregaon Poster Campaign: State’s Capacity to Create Laws for Targeting and Silencing Dissenters (PUDR, Aug 2025)

Also read:
▪ Elgaar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon case: 16 accused, 1 dead, 1 in custody, 14 out on bail. The bail diaries (The Indian Express / Feb 2026)
▪ Bail for Sagar Gorkhe and Ramesh Gaichor, five years and five months after arrest (SabrangIndia / Jan 2026)
▪ In Surendra Gadling’s case, adjournment becomes the verdict (Frontline / Aug 2025)
▪ The Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill Perpetuates India’s Banning Regime (PUDR / Aug 2025)
▪ Five years behind bars for five activists (PUDR / June 2023)