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Father Stan’s fight goes beyond his death, says his lawyer

Father Stan’s fight goes beyond his death, says his lawyer


Bangalore, July 2021

The Indian Express / by Express News Service

Father Stan Swamy’s fight goes on, even beyond his death, said lawyer Mihir Desai, who represented the Jesuit priest and tribal rights activist in the Elgaar Parishad case.
The 84-year-old Swamy died undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Mumbai in July while he was under judicial custody. He was booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the Elgaar Parishad case.
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Maoist leader linked to ‘plot to kill PM Modi’ arrested in Jharkhand

Maoist leader linked to ‘plot to kill PM Modi’ arrested in Jharkhand

The Indian Express / by Chandan Haygunde

Prashant Bose, wanted in several criminal cases, is the secretary of the CPI (Maoist) eastern regional bureau.
Top CPI (Maoist) leader Prashant Bose alias Kishan Da, who was recently arrested by Jharkhand Police, is one of the many accused named in the Elgaar Parishad case. Bose was named in connection with a “Maoist communication” that allegedly mentioned a plot to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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Also read:
● The unravelling of a conspiracy: were the 16 charged with plotting to kill India’s prime minister framed? (The Guardian / Aug 2021)
● Explainer: Arsenal Report on Surendra Gadling (The Leaflet / Jul 2021)
● They were accused of plotting to overthrow the Modi government. The evidence was planted, a new report says. (Washington Post / Feb 2021)

Online event: Day of the Imprisoned Writer: Varavara Rao and İlhan Sami Çomak (Nov 15)

Online event: Day of the Imprisoned Writer: Varavara Rao and İlhan Sami Çomak (Nov 15)

By The Freedom to Write Committee of Irish PEN/PEN na hÉireann

The Freedom to Write Committee of Irish PEN/PEN na hÉireann is honoured to celebrate the life and work of the renowned poets, Varavara Rao (India) and İlhan Sami Çomak (Turkey), on the occasion of the International Day of the Imprisoned Writer.
Read more / register

Also read:
• Why Suppressing Varavara Rao’s Poetry Furthers His Incarceration (The Swaddle / Nov 2021)
• Varavara Rao need not surrender before jail officials until November 18, says HC (Scroll.in / Oct 27, 2021)

UAPA: Lawyers Challenge Sections Defining ‘Unlawful Activities’ as Vague

UAPA: Lawyers Challenge Sections Defining ‘Unlawful Activities’ as Vague


Drawing by Arun Ferreira

UAPA: Lawyers Challenge Sections Defining ‘Unlawful Activities’ as Vague

12/11/2021

Gauri Lankesh News / by Grauri Lankesh News Desk

The unlawful activities are defined in such a vague manner to make its application solely on the discretion of police machinery, say the petitioners.
The petition has been filed by two advocates and one journalist, who have been booked under UAPA in connection with their social media posts and work related to the recent communal violence in Tripura …
Many eminent lawyers and activists also petitioned against sections of UAPA
Bhima Koregaon accused Anand Teltumbde has filed a petition before the Bombay High Court challenging Section 43D of UAPA on bail as well as misuse of the term “front organisation” by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
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As the police reach increasingly for draconian UAPA, are the courts pushing back?

11/11/2021

Scroll.in / by Umang Poddar

There have been a few instances recently of the courts granting bail to people accused under the anti-terror law.
… Over the past few years, there has been an increase in the number of cases against the government’s critics under the UAPA, a harsh law that was passed to deal with terrorist activities and actions such as inciting secession or disrupting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India.
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Tracing The Footprints Of National Security Vis-À-Vis Fundamental Rights

11/11/2021

Live Law / by Kaustubh Tiwari

… It has been a sorry state of affairs for fundamental rights in the courts when the word national security is uttered by the government like in the Rafael, Bhima- Koregaon and Rohingya Refugee matters. The court’s dilettante disposition for fundamentals rights is quite conspicuously reflected by its own line of decisions. This being a persistent notoriety of the courts in India, it is time- warranted that the Supreme Court needs to find the correct opportunity to rectify the judicial alacrity to uphold provisions of law highly repugnant to fundamental rights when place against national security concerns and craft a balancing approach whereby fundamentals rights and the security of the state both can peacefully co-exist.
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Also read:
● Anand Teltumbde Moves Bombay High Court Challenging Stringent Bail Conditions & ‘Vague Terminology’ In UAPA (Live Law / Sep 2021)

Why Suppressing Varavara Rao’s Poetry Furthers His Incarceration

Why Suppressing Varavara Rao’s Poetry Furthers His Incarceration


Campaign poster, Sep 2021

Why Suppressing Varavara Rao’s Poetry Furthers His Incarceration

11/11/2021

The Swaddle / by Rohitha Naraharisetty

Varavara Rao, a Telugu poet and activist who is currently incarcerated under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, is seeing his voice being stifled even outside the prison system.
Varavara Rao has and continues to be, among the most persecuted poets in Indian history. He founded the literary magazine Srujana and was deeply involved with the Revolutionary Writers’ Association. His work revolved around prison violence, labor struggles, and human rights.
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Adverse legal opinion behind delay in releasing Varavara Rao’s book

11/11/2021

The Telegraph / by Pheroze L. Vincent

Last October, Penguin Random House India had announced that an english translation of his Telegu poems would be published under its Vintage imprint in 2021.
The publication of the English translation of a collection of Telugu poems by P. Varavara Rao, the Hyderabad activist facing trial in the Elgar Parishad “terrorism” case, has been delayed because of adverse legal opinion the publisher is said to have received.
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Penguin’s Varavara Rao book in limbo? Co-editors say they have faith in publisher

10/11/2021

The News Minute / by Balakrishna Ganeshan

Is Penguin planning to indefinitely postpone the release of ‘Varavara Rao: The Revolutionary Poet’ – a collection of poems by the revolutionary poet translated into English? The co-editors of the book have said that they have faith that the publisher, Penguin, wouldn’t do this. In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, November 10, journalist and translator N Venugopal, and writer and poet Meena Kandasamy, said that they trust publisher Penguin Randomhouse India, to publish the book, which is a compilation of 65 poems written by Varavara Rao.
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‘Legal Row’: Penguin Censors Poems, Then Stalls Varavara Rao’s Book Indefinitely

09/11/2021

The Quint / by Nikhila Henry

Penguin Random House was expected to publish Varavara Rao’s collection of poems in June or July 2021.
Telugu poet Varavara Rao was 20 years old when he started penning poems. Six decades on, the 81-year-old poet’s lifelong work is now in limbo as Penguin Random House has stalled the publication of a collection of his poems, citing its concerns about the “nature of charges” levelled against him, The Quint has learnt.
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by Meena Kandasamy (Nov 9, 2021)

Click to enlarge

Penguin stalls Varavara Rao book over ‘nature of charges’ against him: Quint

09/11/2021

Newslaundry / by NL Team

The publication of Telugu poet Varavara Rao’s collection of poems has been put on hold by Penguin Random House, with the publisher citing its concerns about the “nature of charges” levelled against him, according to a report in the Quint.
The 81-year-old poet, who was arrested along with other activists under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in November 2018 for his alleged role in the Bhima Koregaon violence, is out on medical grounds and stationed in Mumbai.
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ONLINE EVENT: DAY OF THE IMPRISONED WRITER:
VARAVARA RAO AND İLHAN SAMI ÇOMAK (NOV 15)

The Freedom to Write Committee of Irish PEN/PEN na hÉireann is honoured to celebrate the life and work of the renowned poets, Varavara Rao (India) and İlhan Sami Çomak (Turkey), on the occasion of the International Day of the Imprisoned Writer.
Read more / register

Koregaon Bhima panel hearings to resume from Nov 15, Rashmi Shukla summoned

Koregaon Bhima panel hearings to resume from Nov 15, Rashmi Shukla summoned

The Indian Express / by Chandan Haygunde

As per the schedule, IPS officer Rashmi Shukla, who was a former Pune Police Commissioner, has been summoned to appear before the panel as a witness on November 18.
After receiving a nod from the state government regarding availability of a bigger venue in Mumbai for the purpose, the Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry on Monday released its schedule for conducting the next set of hearings in the case.
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Was Stan Swamy a Maoist or a martyr? A new book considers the question

Was Stan Swamy a Maoist or a martyr? A new book considers the question

Scroll.in / by Gladson Dungdung

Since the death of the 84-year-old renowned human rights activist Fr. Stan Swamy (trained as a Jesuit priest), in judicial custody on July 5th, 2021, which was actually an institutional murder orchestrated by the Indian state, a billion-dollar question has arisen in the minds of millions in India and abroad. Was Fr. Stan Swamy a martyr or a traitor?
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Also read:
● How the system broke Stan Swamy: A cell mate recalls the activist’s last days in prison (Scroll.in / Aug 2021)
● Framed to Die – The Case of Stan Swamy (45 pages, PUDR / Aug 2021)

Sudha Bharadwaj is a true patriot and heir of the Ghadar movement

Sudha Bharadwaj is a true patriot and heir of the Ghadar movement

Countercurrents / by Gurpreet Singh

Currently incarcerated under trumped up charges in the world’s so called largest democracy, Sudha Bharadwaj is one of the dozens of scholars and activists locked up in the Indian jails.
Bharadwaj, who turned 60 on November 1, is a lawyer who has been advocating for the rights of the poor and marginalized, especially Adivasis or the Indigenous peoples of India who are being evicted from their traditional mineral-rich lands by the extraction industry with the backing of the government.
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Also read:
● As Sudha Bharadwaj Spends 4th Birthday in Jail, a Reminder That UAPA Enables Her Incarceration (The Wire / Nov 1, 2021)

Explained: Bhima Koregaon Commission

Explained: Bhima Koregaon Commission

The Hindu / by Sonam Saigal

The panel set up to inquire into the 2018 violence has suspended work till provision of suitable accommodation.
On January 1, 1818, a battle between the Peshwas and the British resulted in the overthrow of the Peshwas. To honour the valour of the soldiers, a Vijay Stambh, a war memorial was built Bhima Koregaon village. In 1921, on January 1, Dr B.R. Ambedkar visited the site which resulted in the initiation of an annual tradition to commemorate the occasion. Thereafter every year on January 1, large numbers of Bahujan gather at the Vijay Stambh to pay tribute to Dalits.
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Also read:
● Bhima Koregaon Judicial Commission Suspends Hearing After Maharashtra Govt Fails to Provide Accommodation In Mumbai (Live Law / Nov 2, 2021)
● Let’s Remember the Lesson of Bhima Koregaon: Down with the New Peshwai (Sanhati, March 2018)

As Sudha Bharadwaj Spends 4th Birthday in Jail, a Reminder That UAPA Enables Her Incarceration

As Sudha Bharadwaj Spends 4th Birthday in Jail, a Reminder That UAPA Enables Her Incarceration


Chhattisgarh, Nov 1, 2021

The Wire / by Mahtab Alam

In addition to her legal battles, Sudha Bharadwaj also fought to seek justice for the marginalised in Chhattisgarh.
On Monday, November 1, Chhattisgarh celebrated 21 years of its statehood. On November 1, 2000, the state was carved out of Madhya Pradesh. It was a result of longstanding demand and sustained struggles of local organisations and the population. One of the organisations which played a key role in the formation of the new state is Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha (CMM) or Chhattisgarh Liberation Front. The CMM was formed in the early 1980s under the charismatic leadership of trade union leader Shankar Guha Niyogi. He was murdered in September 1991. And one of those who decided to carry forward the unfinished work of Niyogi is his fellow comrade from early years of activism – Sudha Bharadwaj, a trade union activist, lawyer and teacher.
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