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Supreme Court adjourns bail plea of Surendra Gadling in 2016 Surjagarh mine arson case

Supreme Court adjourns bail plea of Surendra Gadling in 2016 Surjagarh mine arson case

Deccan Herald / by pti

A bench of Justices M M Sundresh and Aravind Kumar deferred the matter after the counsel appearing for Gadling sought time to go through the reply filed by Maharashtra in the matter.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday adjourned till the second week of January the bail plea of advocate Surendra Gadling in connection with the 2016 Surjagarh iron ore mine arson case.
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Also read:
SC gives Maha govt two weeks time to respond to lawyer Surendra Gadling’s bail plea (Daijiworld / Dec 2024)
Judicial Deliberations: Surendra Gadling’s Awaited Bail in Surjagarh Arson Case (Devdisourse / Nov 2024)
How Long Is Too Long for an Undertrial Prisoner To Be Detained? (The Wire | by Hany Babu & Surendra Gadling | Oct 2024)
Gadchiroli arson case: Supreme Court issues notice in bail plea of Surendra Gadling (The Leaflet / Oct 2023)
Surendra Gadling’s Computer Was Attacked, Incriminating Documents Planted: Arsenal Consulting (The Wire / July 2021)
Now Gadchiroli Police takes custody of Surendra Gadling, P Varavara Rao, prompting senior lawyers to say this is ‘ever-greening of charges’ (The Leaflet / Jan 2019)

Rona Wilson’s bail plea to attend kin’s wedding rejected

Rona Wilson’s bail plea to attend kin’s wedding rejected

Elgar accused’s bail plea to attend kin’s wedding rejected

17/12/2024

Times of India / by Rebecca Samervel

A special NIA court had rejected the interim bail plea of activist and Elgar Parishad accused Rona Wilson, who sought his temporary release next month to attend the wedding of his cousin’s daughter. Observing that the relationship between him and the to-be bride is quite distant, the judge said, “His attendance at the marriage is not at all necessary. Application… hereby stands rejected.”
The order was pronounced on Friday but its detailed copy was made available on Tuesday. Wilson is among the eight accused still in custody in the case.
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NIA court refuses bail to activist Rona Wilson

18/12/2024

Hindustan Times / by Revu Suresh

A special NIA court last week rejected the temporary bail plea filed by activist Rona Wilson, who is lodged at the Taloja central jail in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case. Wilson had sought interim bail to attend the wedding ceremony of his niece, from January 6 to January 20, 2025. However, special judge Chakor S Baviskar rejected the plea on December 13, observing that Wilson’s attendance was not at all necessary as the relation was quite distant.
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Also Read:
Meet 10 ‘political prisoners’ of the Narendra Modi regime in jail without trial (Telegraph / Jul 2024)
Bombay HC rejects default bail of five accused in Bhima Koregaon case (Scroll.in / Jul 2024)
Incriminating evidence planted in computers: The Trojan solved the Bhima Koregaon case! (Anchored Narratives / Jan 2023)
Cyber Attackers Who Targeted Rona Wilson Could Have Been Engaged by Same Entity: Report (The Wire / Feb 2022)

Solidarity: Himanshu Kumar’s cycle march and advocacy against opression

Solidarity: Himanshu Kumar’s cycle march and advocacy against opression

Pic credit: The Polis Project

The Polis Project / by Prashant Rahi

… On November 22 this year, the deportee from the Maoist heartland, Himanshu Kumar, now 60, completed a nearly 2,000-kilometre cycle march through western India…
The destination for the cycle march was a choice that emerged from a strong conviction. One of Kumar’s intentions was to prick the nation’s conscience over the languishing predicament, since early 2018, of “the 16 best minds of the country.” Of them, seven men and one woman still remain behind bars – the former in Taloja Central Jail and the latter in Byculla Women’s Jail.
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Video: Himanshu Kumar’s cycle march and advocacy against opression


hindi (english subtitles) | 40:06 | 2024
In this interview, senior reporter Prashant Rahi talks to Himanshu about his cycle march and history and future plans of advocacy against oppression.
Watch video


Also read:
THE BK-16 PRISON DIARIES SERIES (THE POLIS PROJECT / JUNE 2024)

NIA Court Grants Interim Bail To Sagar Gorkhe For LLB Exams, Allows Mahesh Raut For Entrance Test

NIA Court Grants Interim Bail To Sagar Gorkhe For LLB Exams, Allows Mahesh Raut For Entrance Test

NIA Court Grants Interim Bail To Sagar Gorkhe For LLB Exams, Allows Mahesh Raut For Entrance Test

13/12/2024

Free Press Journal / by Charul Shah Joshi

The special NIA court on Friday granted interim bail to Sagar Gorkhe, an accused in the Elgar Parishad case, allowing him to appear for the first semester examination of LLB degree. He has been given relief from December 14 to January 4, during which the exams have been scheduled. Meanwhile, the court has also granted permission to another accused, Mahesh Raut, to appear for the viva voice for LLB entrance test.
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Interim Bail for Elgar Parishad Accused: Sagar Gorkhe Allowed to Sit Law Exam

13/12/2024

Devdiscourse / by Devdisourse News Desk

Sagar Gorkhe, accused in the Elgar Parishad case, has been granted interim bail by a Mumbai court to appear for his law degree exam. Arrested in September 2020 for alleged Maoist links, Gorkhe is currently in Taloja Jail. Bail includes conditions like an active phone connection.
agar Gorkhe, a key accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist link case, has been granted interim bail by a special NIA court to sit for his law degree exam.
The court’s decision came more than four years after Gorkhe’s arrest in September 2020.
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Also read:
Maharashtra: Raising the bar from behind bars (Midday.com / May 2024)

Koregaon Bhima battle anniversary planning: HC allows Maharashtra govt to enter ‘Jay Stambh’ plot

Koregaon Bhima battle anniversary planning: HC allows Maharashtra govt to enter ‘Jay Stambh’ plot

Booklet: Salaakhon Mein Qaid Avaazein

Koregaon Bhima battle anniversary planning: HC allows Maharashtra govt to enter ‘Jay Stambh’ plot

14/12/2024

Deccan Chronicle / by pti

The Bombay High Court has permitted the Maharashtra government to enter the ‘Jay Stambh’ land in Pune for a fortnight to make arrangements for the January 1, 2025 programme marking the 207th anniversary of the historic Koregaon Bhima battle. The land, situated at Perne village in Pune, is embroiled in an ownership dispute and a court order has directed for the status quo to be maintained.
Pursuant to this, the state government each year has to seek permission from the court.
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Massive Turnout Expected for Bhima Koregaon Ceremony at Perne Phata on January 1, 2025

14/12/2024

The Free Press Journal / by FPJ Web Desk

In preparation for the Vijaystambh Ansamhura ceremony at Perne Phata on January 1, 2025, District Collector Dr. Suhas Diwase has directed relevant departments to plan thoroughly and provide necessary facilities for the expected influx of followers.
This year, a massive turnout is expected, with political parties and activists fueling the attendance ahead of the upcoming elections.
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Why Maharashtra govt needs court nod to enter ‘Jaystambh’ land for Koregaon Bhima battle anniversary preparations

13/12/2024

The Indian Express / by Chandan Haygunde

The Bombay HC has allowed the Maharashtra government to enter the Jaystambh land from Dec 22, 2024 to Jan 5, 2025 to make arrangements for the 207th anniversary of the Battle of Koregaon Bhima.
The Bombay High Court has permitted the Maharashtra government to enter the “disputed land” around the Jaystambh located at Perne village in Pune to make arrangements for the January 1 programme marking the 207th anniversary of the Battle of Koregaon Bhima.
Read more


Also read:
Book Excerpt | How Bhima Koregaon Became a Trope for Dalit Pride and Assertion (The Wire / June 2024)
One year of Bhima-Koregaon case: Part I | History of a 200-year-old battle and why it still matters (The Leaflet / Jan 2019)
Let’s Remember the Lesson of Bhima Koregaon: Down with the New Peshwai (Sanhati │ by Sudhir Dhawale │ March 2018)
The Myth of Bhima Koregaon Reinforces the Identities It Seeks to Transcend (The Wire | Anand Teltumbde | Jan 2018)
Why peoples’ coalitions are uniting against Hindutva — the ‘new Peshwai’ (Dailyo.in │ by Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves │ Jan 2018)

Urban Naxal Bogey: Move for Harsher Bill to Curb Civil Rights?

Urban Naxal Bogey: Move for Harsher Bill to Curb Civil Rights?

The Wire / P. Raman

The government will find it difficult to run roughshod on sensitive issues such as this because of a rejuvenated Opposition and the need for allies’ consent.
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacks “urban Naxals”, it surprises many. For it was just this August – less than four months ago – that home minister Amit Shah had declared that the war on Naxalites was nearing its end and left-wing extremism in the country would be wiped out by March 2026.
If the war is in the mopping-up stage, why has Modi intensified his rant? Consider his relentless attacks on extremists and their presumed urban supporters in recent months.
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Also read:
A New Bill Shows Maharashtra Wants to Become a Police State Before Combatting Left-Wing Extremism (The Wire/ Jul 2024)
What is Maharashtra’s new Bill to curb ‘Naxalism in urban areas’? (The Indian Express / Jul 2024)
Maharashtra: Activists, Lawyers Added to ‘Union War Book’, Listed as ‘Enemies of the State’ (The Wire / Jul 2021)
From ‘tukde tukde gang’ to ‘urban Naxal’: How media trials enable the government to stifle dissent (Scroll.in / Sep 2018)
From Anti-National to Urban Naxal: The Trajectory of Dissent in India – How the term Urban Naxal came to being (Newsclick / Sep 2018)

Delhi: Human Rights Day Protest, Demand to Free Political Prisoners

Delhi: Human Rights Day Protest, Demand to Free Political Prisoners

By The Wire


hindi | 6:31 | 2024
Watch video


Marking Human Rights Day, Students Gather At Jantar Mantar To Demand The Release Of Political Prisoners

11/12/2024

Outlook / Apeksha Priyadarshini

Led by the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union, the students came together to demand the release of various political prisoners—many of them students—who have been incarcerated for more than four years.
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Video: Human Rights Day Special: Sudha Bharadwaj on activism, human rights in India

Video: Human Rights Day Special: Sudha Bharadwaj on activism, human rights in India

By Newslaundry


Part 1: en | 01:02:00 | 2022
Part 2: en | 45:43:00 | 2022

On this Human Rights Day, Newslaundry is removing the paywall from our interview with prominent human rights lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj, who had walked out of prison in 2021 after being repeatedly denied bail in the Bhima Koregaon case.
Working with people on the ground, Sudha is only too aware of how “alien” the judicial process is to the majority of India’s population. She also thinks it’s important for young lawyers to cut their teeth by representing the most marginalised.
In this interview, the activist talks about her childhood in Bilaspur and her educational journey, culminating in Jawaharlal Nehru University and IIT Kanpur. Her mother, a JNU professor, helped shape the ideology of this self-proclaimed Marxist who began working with trade unions at the age of 25.
In Byculla jail, Sudha tried to secure legal aid for those imprisoned with her. She believes in the importance of a “united front” and worries that the lack of this unity gives rise to dogma.
Watch video Part 1
Watch video Part 2


Also read:

▪ From Phansi Yard: My Year with the Women of Yerawada
Author: Sudha Bhardwaj
Publishing Date: Oct 2023
Publisher: Juggernaut
Pages: 216
Read more / order


▪ Sudha Bharadwaj speaks – A Life in Law and Activism
Publishing Date: January 2021
Interview: Darshana Mitra and Santanu Chakraborty
Publisher: Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL)
Pages: 316
Access a free PDF copy of the book here

“Not a usual matter”: SC after State seeks adjournment in Surendra Gadling bail plea

“Not a usual matter”: SC after State seeks adjournment in Surendra Gadling bail plea

Surendra Gadling

“Not a usual matter”: Supreme Court after State seeks adjournment in Surendra Gadling bail plea

04/12/2024

Bar & Bench / by Anadi Tewari

The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court had in January rejected the bail plea of lawyer and activist Surendra Gadling in the 2016 Surajgarh arson case
The Supreme Court on Wednesday took exception to the Maharashtra government seeking adjournment in the bail plea filed by lawyer and activist Surendra Gadling in connection with the 2016 Surajgarh arson case [Surendra Pundalik Gadling vs State of Maharashtra].
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SC gives Maha govt two weeks time to respond to lawyer Surendra Gadling’s bail plea

04/12/2024

Dajiworld.com / by IANS

The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted the Maharashtra government two weeks’ time to file a counter affidavit to the bail plea filed by lawyer Surendra Gadling, who is behind bars in connection with the 2016 Surjagarh iron ore mine arson case.
A bench, headed by Justice M.M. Sundresh, was hearing a special leave petition filed by Gadling against the dismissal of his appeal filed under Section 21(4) of the NIA (National Investigation Agency) Act seeking bail.
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SC defers bail plea of advocate Gadling in 2016 Surjagarh mine arson case

04/12/2024

Business Standard / by ANI

The state sought adjournment on the ground that some documents are yet to be filed
The Supreme Court granted two weeks time to the Maharashtra government on Wednesday to file additional documents on the bail plea of advocate Surendra Gadling in connection with the 2016 Surjagarh iron ore mine arson case.
Read more


Also read:
Judicial Deliberations: Surendra Gadling’s Awaited Bail in Surjagarh Arson Case (Devdisourse / Nov 2024)
How Long Is Too Long for an Undertrial Prisoner To Be Detained? (The Wire | by Hany Babu & Surendra Gadling | Oct 2024)
Gadchiroli arson case: Supreme Court issues notice in bail plea of Surendra Gadling (The Leaflet / Oct 2023)
Surendra Gadling’s Computer Was Attacked, Incriminating Documents Planted: Arsenal Consulting (The Wire / July 2021)
Now Gadchiroli Police takes custody of Surendra Gadling, P Varavara Rao, prompting senior lawyers to say this is ‘ever-greening of charges’ (The Leaflet / Jan 2019)

Koregaon-Bhima Riot Investigation: Inquiry Points to Possible Third-Party Involvement

Koregaon-Bhima Riot Investigation: Inquiry Points to Possible Third-Party Involvement

Graphic by Arun Ferreira & Vernon Gonsalves

Koregaon-Bhima Violence: Inquiry Points to Possible Third-Party Involvement

02/12/2024

The Bridge Chronicle / by Salil Urunkar

These elements, according to Adv. Hiray, may be anti-democratic and opposed to the established system. He provided evidence supporting this claim to the commission.
The Koregaon-Bhima violence that erupted on January 1, 2018, is more complex than initially perceived, according to Special Public Prosecutor Adv. Shishir Hiray.
In his final argument before the Koregaon-Bhima Inquiry Commission, Adv. Hiray argued that while outsiders and locals are highlighted as key groups in the incident, there is a possibility of a third element influencing the violence.
Read more


‘Police took appropriate action following Koregaon Bhima violence’

27/11/2024

Hindustan Times / by Nadeem Inamdar

Special public prosecutor Shishir Hiray in final arguments before Bhima Koregaon commission hearing said Pune rural police took appropriate legal action after the communal riots at Bhima Koregaon on January 1, 2018.
Special public prosecutor Advocate Shishir Hiray while making the final arguments before the Bhima Koregaon commission hearing on Tuesday said that in the aftermath of the communal riots which took place in Bhima Koregaon on January 1, 2018, the Pune rural police took appropriate legal action as per the procedure.
… The hearing of this case will continue till Friday, November 29.
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Koregaon-Bhima Riot Investigation: Special Prosecutor to Submit Detailed Report

26/11/2024

The Bridge Chronicle / by Salil Urunkar

Special public prosecutor’s final argument is anticipated to delve into several contentious aspects, including whether similar crimes occurred elsewhere following the Koregaon-Bhima event.
The special public prosecutor is scheduled to submit a comprehensive 500-page final written argument before the Koregaon-Bhima Inquiry Commission on November 26.
This marks a critical phase in the inquiry into the violent riots that occurred in Koregaon-Bhima in January 2018.
Read more


Also watch/read:
Video: Bhima Koregaon, Dalit Assertion, Upper Caste Backlash and the Deep State (The AIDEM / Oct 2024)
Police Linked to Hacking Campaign to Frame Indian Activists (Wired.com / June 2022)
Bhima Koregaon Violence: Four Different Theories, but No Justice in Sight (The Wire / Jan 2022)
One year of Bhima-Koregaon case: Part I | History of a 200-year-old battle and why it still matters (The Leaflet / Jan 2019)