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And he waits for Shoma Sen

And he waits for Shoma Sen

Midday / by Ajaz Ashraf

Falling in love while trying to affect a change in the society, as their hearts beat for adivasis and dalits, the couple has now spent in jail nine out of 31 years of their life together.
I called up Tushar Kanti Bhattacharya, husband of Shoma Sen, an accused in the Bhima Koregaon case, on May 9, with a request: could he tell me their story—she languishing in jail and he alone outside? He said it was on this day in 1991 that Shoma and he were married. 
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Also read:
● And she waits for Gautam Navlakha (Midday / May 2022)

Sedition law: Lawyers and free speech activists welcome SC order / A Decade of Darkness

Sedition law: Lawyers and free speech activists welcome SC order / A Decade of Darkness


Drawing by Arun Ferreira

Sedition law: Lawyers and free speech activists welcome SC order

12/05/2022

The Economic Times / by Vasudha Venugopal

Nagpur-based lawyer Nihalsingh Rathod, who represents many accused in the Elgar Parishad case said the legislature should have re-examined the relevance of sedition a long time ago. The Supreme Court’s interim order was an important step in rights jurisprudence, he said.
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KEEP THE SEDITION LAW IN ABEYANCE: SUPREME COURT RULES IN A HISTORIC ORDER [read order]

11/05/2022

Live Law / by Livelaw News Network

In a historic development, the Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered that the 152-year old sedition law under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code should be effectively kept in abeyance till the Union Government reconsiders the provision.
In an interim order, the Court urged the Centre and the State governments to refrain from registering any FIRs under the said provision while it was under re-consideration.
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A Decade of Darkness: Our New Database Reveals How A Law Discarded By Most Democracies Is Misused In India

04/02/2022

Article 14 / by Lubhyathi Rangarajan

For 151 years, Indians expressing their right to free speech and expression have faced the prospect of being accused of sedition: ‘showing disaffection’ towards the State under section 124A of the Indian Penal Code. Our new database counts 13,000 people charged with sedition between 2010-2021 and provides unprecedented insight into India’s use of a law discarded by most democracies. Its use has risen inexorably over the last decade, most recently against public protests, dissent, social-media posts, criticism of the government and even over cricket results.
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Also read:
● Explainer: How the Sedition Law Has Been Used in the Modi Era (The Wire / Mai 2022)

Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry calls for Elgaar Parishad video

Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry calls for Elgaar Parishad video

Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry calls for Elgaar Parishad video

09/02/2022

The Indian Express / by Chandan Haygunde

The two-member commission headed by retired justice J N Patel is probing the cause of the violence in the Koregaon Bhima area of the Pune district on January 1, 2018, in which one person had died and several others were left injured.
The Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry has asked special public prosecutor Shishir Hiray to obtain and submit the video of the Elgaar Parishad held in Pune in December 2017.
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Podcast: Disha Wadekar talks about Ambedkarite history in Pune City, Bhima Koregaon in 2018 …

09/02/2022

By Anurag Minus Verma Podcast


en | 1h39min | 2022
Listen to the podcast

Anurag Minus Verma Podcast in Conversation with Disha Wadekar (#44 Disha Wadekar)
Disha is an advocate practicing in the Supreme Court. She has also headed a legal resource centre and is co-founder of CEDE.

Topics Discussed in the podcast: Rarely discussed Ambedkarite history about Pune City; What happened at the Bhim Koregaon in 2018; Vimukta identity and criminal act; Delta Meghwal rape case and struggle of the family for justice; Community for the Eradication of Discrimination in Education and Employment (CEDE), a network of lawyers, law firms, judges, and other organizations and individuals, who are committed to reforming the Indian legal profession.

Also read:
● Bhima Koregaon: Is Milind Ekbote Being Protected? (rediff.com / Feb 2022)
● Witness Before Probe Panel Accuses Sambhaji Bhide & Milind Ekbote Of Instigating Bhima Koregaon Riots (Live Law / Oct 2021)

Ten recusals in Bhima Koregaon raises the question: Should judges disclose reasons for withdrawal?

Ten recusals in Bhima Koregaon raises the question: Should judges disclose reasons for withdrawal?

Scroll.in / by Umang Poddar

Would disclosing reasons reduce the controversy around mass recusals?
On April 19, Justice Sadhana Jadhav of the Bombay High Court recused herself from hearing petitions related to the Bhima Koregaon case. She was part of a two-judge bench that was hearing petitions relating to the quashing of cases against activists Rona Wilson and Shoma Sen and the bail plea of advocate Surendra Gadling, amongst other petitions.
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Irony of Sharad Pawar’s support for Bhima Koregaon accused

Irony of Sharad Pawar’s support for Bhima Koregaon accused

Irony of Sharad Pawar’s support for Bhima Koregaon accused

09/05/2022

Deccan Herald / by Vidya

That Pawar has done nothing is a testimony to the clout wielded in Maharashtra politics by ‘Bhide Guruji’
It took Delhi-based writer-activist Gautam Navlakha 75 days to get court permission to walk in the open in Taloja Jail and get the fresh air he’s deprived of in the high-security anda cell he’s been consigned to since October. Seventy-year-old Navlakha, one of 16 intellectuals arrested in the Bhima Koregaon case, has been denied a chair despite developing back pain during his two-year-long incarceration. Last month, the Bombay High Court rejected his plea for house arrest and instead directed the Taloja Jail authorities to provide him with whatever medical care he needed.
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Why Sharad Pawar Is Against The Bhima Koregaon 16’s Arrests

06/05/2022

Rediff.com / by Jyoti Punwani

Despite Sharad Pawar’s assertion, the Maharashtra government has done nothing to ease the suffering of the Bhima Koregaon 16, who have been denied their basic rights to health and to communication with their families while in jail.
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Koregaon Bhima and Elgar Parishad are two different episodes: Sharad Pawar

Koregaon Bhima and Elgar Parishad are two different episodes: Sharad Pawar

‘Speech within the ambit of the Constitution not anti-national’: Sharad Pawar tells Bhima Koregaon probe panel

06/05/2022

The Leaflet / by Sabah Gurmat

The NCP chief dodged questions on the role of Hindutva leaders, Shambhaji Bhide and Milind Ekbote.
The Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry, on Thursday, called upon Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sharad Pawar to depose as a witness before the commission.
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Speeches within ambit of Constitution not anti-national: Sharad Pawar to Bhima Koregaon Commission

05/05/2022

Bar & Bench / by Narsi Benwal

During his deposition, Pawar also stated that it is necessary for a political leader to take precautions to ensure that his address to people is not inflammatory resulting in disturbance to law and order and peace.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief and Member of Rajya Sabha Sharad Pawar on Thursday told the Bhima Koregaon Commission of Inquiry that persons making speeches within the ambit of the Constitution are not anti-national.
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Koregaon Bhima and Elgar Parishad are two different episodes: Sharad Pawar

05/05/2022

The Times of India / by Swati Dshpande

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar and Member of Parliament (MP) of Rajya Sabha on Monday deposed before the Koregaon Bhima commission of inquiry and said “Koregaon Bhima and Elgar Parishad are two different episodes.
In respect of cases filed by the Police relating to Elgar Parishad, I have stated that it was not correct/proper on the part of Police to have filed cases against certain persons who were not present at the Elgar Parishad held on 31st December, 2017 at Shanivarwada, Pune).”
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Hindutva leader Sambhaji Bhide’s name dropped from Bhima Koregaon case, say police

Hindutva leader Sambhaji Bhide’s name dropped from Bhima Koregaon case, say police

Hindutva leader Sambhaji Bhide’s name dropped from Bhima Koregaon case, say police

05/05/2022

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

He had been booked for allegedly instigating caste violence which resulted in death of a person in a Pune village in 2018.
The Maharashtra Police have dropped Hindutva leader Sambhaji Bhide’s name from the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence case, PTI reported on Wednesday. In a report filed before the Maharashtra Human Rights Commission, the police submitted that the Bhide was not found to have played any role in the violence, PTI reported.
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Bhide’s name dropped from Bhima Koregaon case: Police

04/05/2022

Hindustan Times / by HT Correspondent

The name of Sambhaji Bhide has been dropped from the 2018 Koregaon-Bhima violence case as no evidence was found against the right-wing leader, Pune rural police said in a report filed before the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission on Wednesday.
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Also read:
● Witness Before Probe Panel Accuses Sambhaji Bhide & Milind Ekbote Of Instigating Bhima Koregaon Riots (Live Law / Oct 2021)
● Casting a Veil – What we miss by ignoring Maratha caste politics in the Bhima Koregaon case (The Caravan / Dec 2020)

India’s sedition law, its usage, and the opinions around it / Anomalies in India’s justice system

India’s sedition law, its usage, and the opinions around it / Anomalies in India’s justice system

India’s sedition law, its usage, and the opinions around it

04/05/2022

The Hindu / by Suchitra Karthikeyan

On Monday, the Central government sought one more day to file a reply in plea challenging constitutional validity of the sedition charge under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code
Sedition is once again the subject of debate as the Supreme Court Court is hearing pleas challenging it.
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Editorial on anomalies in India’s justice system

04/05/2022

The Telegraph / by The Editorial board

In spite of the Supreme Court’s insistence on the right to bail, people are denied relief at the drop of a hat.
The prime minister’s eloquent appeal on behalf of under-trial prisoners could not entirely erase the memory of incarcerated activists in the so-called Bhima-Koregaon case, for example, or protesters against the new citizenship laws.
The prime minister got it right. At the joint conference of chief ministers and high court chief justices, in which the Chief Justice of India delivered a speech reportedly mentioning how governments contributed to the courts’ caseload, Narendra Modi mentioned the staggering figure of 3.5 lakh under-trial prisoners in his own speech.
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EU human rights official says he raised communal violence, NGOs ban with Indian government

EU human rights official says he raised communal violence, NGOs ban with Indian government

The Hindu / by Shasini Haidar & Sobhana K. Nair

Official versions of the meetings have made no reference to contentious issues.
Europe’s top human rights official says he raised a number of concerns during official meetings in New Delhi with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, including funding restrictions on NGOs, recent communal violence, the situation in Jammu & Kashmir, and the condition of religious minorities.
… While the EU did not respond to a specific question about the “individual” cases mentioned, sources said Mr. Gilmore, who had earlier issued a stern statement of concern after the death of Jesuit priest Stan Swamy in custody in July 2021, had also discussed the case during his meeting.
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Why Sharad Pawar is called to depose as witness / Cop questioned about ‘provocative’ speech by Elgaar Parishad organiser

Why Sharad Pawar is called to depose as witness / Cop questioned about ‘provocative’ speech by Elgaar Parishad organiser

Why Sharad Pawar is called to depose as witness before Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry?

28/04/2022

The Indian Express / by Chandan Haygunde

The commission had earlier summoned Pawar to depose as a witness on February 23 and February 24. But on February 21, he sought adjournment of his hearing as he wanted more time for filing an additional affidavit with detailed information and it was granted.
… After the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, including the NCP, came to power in the state, Pawar held a press conference on February 18, 2020, and made allegations against right-wing leaders Milind Ekbote, Sambhahi Bhide and raised doubts about the role of the Pune city police in the investigation of Elgaar Parishad case.
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Repeal Section 124A of IPC; UAPA provisions sufficent: Sharad Pawar to Bhima Koregaon Commission

28/04/2022

Bar & Bench / by Neha Joshi

Pawar also stated in his affidavit that responsible media can act as a bridge of communication between protesters and government/ police authorities and ease tensions and avoid misinformation.
Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which criminalises sedition, should be repealed because provisions under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) are sufficient to deal with offences against the nation and national security, the Member of Rajya Sabha and Chief of Nationalist Congress Party Sharad Pawar told Bhima Koregaon Inquiry Commission on Wednesday.
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Cop questioned about ‘provocative’ speech by Elgaar Parishad organiser in Aurangabad

27/04/2022

The Indian Express / by Chandan Haygunde

Dhawale is among the persons arrested by the Pune City Police for their alleged links with the banned CPI-Maoist in the Elgaar Parishad case. The case has been taken over by the NIA.
IPS officer Ravindra Sengaonkar, who earlier deposed as a witness before the Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry, was cross-examined on Tuesday on various points including an alleged provocative speech made by activist Sudhir Dhawale in Aurangabad, a week before the Elgaar Parishad.
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Also read:
● Casting a Veil – What we miss by ignoring Maratha caste politics in the Bhima Koregaon case (The Caravan │ Dec 2020)
● Let’s Remember the Lesson of Bhima Koregaon: Down with the New Peshwai (Sanhati│ by Sudhir Dhawale │ March 2018)