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For one and all: On personal liberty / A Tale of Two Arrests: Arnab Goswami & Stan Swamy

For one and all: On personal liberty / A Tale of Two Arrests: Arnab Goswami & Stan Swamy

For one and all: On personal liberty

13/11/2020

The Hindu / by The Hindu

The Supreme Court has struck a blow for personal liberty, granting interim bail to television anchor Arnab Goswami through an order that one wished was also passed in the case of many others incarcerated without sufficient cause, and with the same priority, consideration and speed…
It is no idle whataboutery to point out that it was only recently that the apex court turned down a petition for bail on medical grounds for lawyer-activist Sudha Bharadwaj to the High Court with a gratuitous observation, “You have a good case on merits. Why don’t you file a regular bail application?”
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A Tale of Two Arrests: Anchor Arnab Goswami & Activist Stan Swamy

12/11/2020

The Leaflet / by Revati Siva Kumar

The arrest of Arnab Goswami evoked howls of protests from the centre, politicians and ordinary people, while that of octogenarian activist Stan Swamy under the dreaded UAPA barely registered. This “counter-terrorism law” is a convenient weapon for governments to arrest human rights defenders, journalists and protesters and Swamy was a symbol of activism, the voice of tribals and their struggles to address their broken hopes and aspirations related to displacements and land alienation beyond caste and religion.
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Arnab entitled to bail, but what about 3.5 lakh undertials, 83 yr old priest, 80 yr old poet?

12/11/2020

Counterview / by Counterview

Senior Mumbai-based human rights lawyer Mihir Desai, in a Facebook post, “tears in the hypocrisy of the judgement and the utter naiveté that informs the discussion about it in certain quarters”, comments Vistasp Hodiwala, adding, “It is the kind of stuff that only a lawyer of serious standing such as Mihir who deals with such cases day in and day out would be able to put up.” …
This is what Mihir Desai wrote.
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‘Will Fr Stan Swamy Now Get a Sipper Cup?’ Twitter on Arnab’s Bail

11/11/2020

The Quint / by The Quint

Meanwhile, another Twitter user talked about jailed 80-year-old activist Varavara Rao’s struggles in the jail.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday, 11 November, granted interim bail to Republic editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami in connection with the 2018 abetment of suicide case against him.
Among other things, the top court judges, raised serious concerns about deprivation of personal liberty in Goswami’s case.
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Nikhil Wagle: Personal liberty is of utmost importance. But should it be selective? Was it not important for Kashmiri, anti-CAA or Bhima-Koregaon activists? Was it not for Rhea Chakraborty?

Rishi Majumder: To be fair, #JusticeChandrachud did take a similar line in his dissenting judgment the Bhima Koregaon case. But while his words in the #ArnabGoswami #SupremeCourt case have carried weight those in the #bhimakoregaon case served only the purpose of record.

Prashant Bhushan: It was fine for the SC to hear Goswami’s petition with lightning speed & release him. The SC struck a blow for liberty. What has anguished many people is why the SC does not display the same alacrity & concern for liberty when it deals with lesser mortals languishing in custody

People in jail
807 days – Sudha Bharadwaj
286 days – Sharjeel Imam
223 days – Meeran Haider
255 days – Ishrat Jahan & Khalid Saifi
178 days – Asif Tanha
171 days – Devangana Kalita & Natasha Narwal
58 days – Umar Khalid
30 days – Kishore Chandra Wangkhem
2 years – Aasif Sultan

…

Arnab’s plea listed urgently in SC, Dushyant Dave alleges preferential treatment [read full letter]

11/11/2020

Sabrang / by Sabrangindia

As Arnab Goswami lodged in Taloja Jail awaits the expedited hearing of his petition against denial of interim bail, the President of Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) has, in strong words, protested against the ‘extraordinary urgent listing’ of the matter at the apex court. Mr. Dushyant Dave, the President of SCBA wrote a letter to the Secretary General of the Supreme Court pointing out the selective listing of matters that the registry is indulging in “for last eight months during Covid pandemic”.
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Was Arnab Goswami entitled to be released on bail? Of course

11/11/2020

Kractivist / by kamayani

Advocate Mihir Desai: Bail not jail is the rule.
Are the 350000 yes three lakh fifty thousand undertrials (many of them for years and many for petty offences) who are as on 11th November 2020 in jails across India likely to get bail?
More than 1,20000 of them have been jail as undertrials for more than a year. At some stage in their long prison life may be but within four days of arrest. Not in your wildest dreams.
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Concern over Arnab’s Health in Jail. What about Activists Like Varavara Rao and Stan Swamy?

Concern over Arnab’s Health in Jail. What about Activists Like Varavara Rao and Stan Swamy?

Concern over Arnab’s Health in Jail. What about Activists Like Varavara Rao and Stan Swamy?

09/11/2020

ARRÉ / by ARRÉ BENCH

Jailed poet Varavara Rao is suspected to have dementia; he also suffers from multiple ailments including neurological disorders. Activist Stan Swamy, also in jail, has Parkinsons. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari is concerned about the health of Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami.
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Was it freedom of expression when Arnab Goswami called activists anti-national?

06/11/2020

Counterview / by Vidya Bhushan Rawat

India’s prime time ‘hyper entertainer’, Arnab Goswami, was arrested by the Maharashtra police for charges of ‘abetment of suicide’ of an architect and his mother, who has worked for the so-called ‘number one’ channel, but did not get paid …
In fact, Fadnavis should face an independent commission for upturning the entire Bhima Koregaon violence case into a conspiracy theory and then putting so many intellectuals in jail.
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Arnab Goswami arrest does not set India down a slippery slope – it’s been sliding down one for years

05/11/2020

Scroll.in / by Shoaib Daniyal

Dramatic scenes flashed on India’s TV screens on Wednesday morning as Arnab Goswami, the editor-in-chief of the Republic TV network, was arrested from his home in Mumbai.
Goswami has played a big part in changing India’s media landscape, pioneering a loud, jingoistic brand of journalism that does not shy away from flaunting its leanings towards the Bharatiya Janata Party…
Sudha Bharadwaj, an accused in the Bhima Koregaon case, has explicitly blamed Goswami for making “false, malicious and defamatory allegations” against her by sharing a “fabricated letter”.
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The Maharashtra Police Is Getting Dangerously Politicised and Partisan

05/11/2020

The Wire / by Ashish Khetan

The police has shown no compunctions in going after the critics of the political outfit in power – be it the left-leaning academics under the BJP’s rule or a rightwing media head under the present Shiv Sena-led coalition…
Param Bir Singh, the current police commissioner, has a troubling track record of leading investigations that suit the political party in power. In August 2018, while he was serving as the additional director general of police (law and order) under the BJP-Shiv Sena government, Singh held the infamous press conference in which he released the ‘conclusive evidence’ against the human rights activists and academics accused in the Bhima Koregaon case of waging war against the nation, even as the matter was being heard by the Supreme Court.
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From Kashmir to Gujarat, Journalists Continue to Get Arrested. But It Hasn’t Angered Our Netas Like Arnab’s Arrest

04/11/2020

ARRÉ / by ARRÉ BENCH

The arrest of Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami has been condemned by ministers, many calling it an attack of press freedom. But will they continue their outrage when the next journalist is assaulted in Delhi or arrested in Gujarat?
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Guwahati candlelight vigil for Stan Swamy aborted

Guwahati candlelight vigil for Stan Swamy aborted

The Telegraph / by Umanand Jaiswal

A candlelight vigil in the city on Sunday seeking the release of Father Stan Swamy and the 15 other rights activists arrested in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon case had to be called off after the police denied permission.
Northeast Solidarity (NES) had on Thursday sought permission to hold the vigil at Dighali Pukhuri from 4.30pm to 5.30pm on Sunday, demanding the release of the 16 accused “falsely implicated under the UAPA” in the Bhima Koregaon case.
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NIA gears up to fight left wing terror harder

NIA gears up to fight left wing terror harder


Solidarity poster, Nov 2020

Oneindia / by Vicky Nanjappa

On Thursday, the National Investigation Agency set up a new office in Ranchi, Jharkhand. This was an important move considering the rising number of cases in the state, which is hit by naxalites in particular…
Very recently the NIA arrested Stan Swamy a Jesuit said to be close to the naxalites.
Officials tell OneIndia that Stan Swamy is a member of the CPI (Maoist). He is actively involved in its activities. He is the convenor of the PPSC, which is a frontal organisation of the CPI (Maoist). He is alleged to have received funds through an associate to further the activities of the CPI (Maoist).
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United Forum for Adivasi Rights protest demanding immediate release of Father Stan Swamy

United Forum for Adivasi Rights protest demanding immediate release of Father Stan Swamy

United Forum for Adivasi Rights protest demanding immediate release of Father Stan Swamy

06/11/2020

Siliguri Times / by Silguri Times

The Adivasi Samaj staged a movement to demand the immediate release of Father Stan Swamy. Furthermore, United Forum for Adivasi Rights staged a rally on Friday.
The members of the organization said that the rights of the Adivasi community are being curtailed. Father Stan Swamy is said to be the one who constantly fought for the rights of the Adivasi community. And the people condemned the central government for putting him behind the bars.
A protest rally was staged today demanding his immediate release. Also, a memorandum was handed over to the SDO addressing the CM mentioning the same.

An Adivasi Crusader Under Trial: A Blot On Indian Democracy – OpEd

05/11/2020

Eurasia Review / by Dr. Paul Newman

The state of Jharkhand is one of the most backward states of India… The three resources that are close to the heart of any tribal in the area is Jal (Water), Jungle (forest) an Jameen (Land), which they own but often lose to the vested interest aided by the state forces… This is an area where a number of missionaries have contributed a great deal to the development of the place in terms of providing quality education, health care and other basis necessities… It is in this context that an eighty three years old, Fr. Stanislaus Lourduswamy, popularly called as Stan Swamy, a Jesuit priest from Jamshedpur Jesuit Province was arrested by the National Investigation Agency on the 8th of October 2020 at 7.30 P.M under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
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A Defender Of The Deprived Faces Terror Charges / Swamy’s Arrest Stirs Unprecedented Protests

A Defender Of The Deprived Faces Terror Charges / Swamy’s Arrest Stirs Unprecedented Protests

Why An Aged Defender Of The Deprived Faces Terror Charges

04/11/2020

Article 14 / by Chitrangada Coudhury

After more than half a century of deploying constitutional rights to assist Adivasis, Dalits and undertrials, 83-year-old Jharkhand Jesuit activist and former director of the Indian Social Institute Stan Swamy is the NIA’s 16th, and oldest, arrest in the Bhima-Koregaon case.
On 24 June 2008, Damodar Turi, a Jharkhand land-rights activist and a Dalit was arrested by the Ranchi police and accused of sedition and waging war against India… While he faced these allegations, Turi recalled, among the people who stood by him were Father Stan Swamy, an 83-year-old Jesuit priest and one of Jharkhand’s most prominent human-rights activists.
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Elderly Priest’s Arrest Stirs Unprecedented Protests in India

04/11/2020

The National Catholic Register / by Anto Akkara

Father Stanilaus Lourduswamy, along with 15 others, allegedly conspired with Maoist rebels to destabilize the federal government in what critics have called ‘absurd.’
Few arrests in Indian history have evoked such widespread protests as that of Jesuit Father Stanislaus Lourduswamy on Oct. 8. Better known as Father Stan Swamy, this 83-year-old is a renowned crusader for the exploited and impoverished indigenous people of eastern Jharkhand state.
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2 years, 3 charge sheets & 16 arrests — Why Bhima Koregaon accused are still in jail

2 years, 3 charge sheets & 16 arrests — Why Bhima Koregaon accused are still in jail

The Print / by Apoorva Mandhani

Since 2018, stringent UAPA rules, SC’s Zahoor Watali order, NIA takeover and allegedly ‘inadmissible’ evidence has made sure that all accused remain in custody.
On 31 December 2017, a group of activists, political leaders and even retired judges came together at Shaniwar Wada in Pune.
Called the Elgar Parishad (Congress for Speaking Aloud), the organisers of this event included former Supreme Court judge, Justice P.B. Sawant, and former Bombay High Court judge, Justice B.G. Kolse-Patil. The event saw songs, street plays and speeches on various issues, including Dalit rights and criticism of the Narendra Modi government. 
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Arrests in Bhima Koregaon case frame a transformation in India’s polity and police force

Arrests in Bhima Koregaon case frame a transformation in India’s polity and police force


Watch music video: Wake Up Call

The Indian Express / by Christophe Jaffrelot

The current usage of the expression “urban Naxal” owes much to Bollywood film director Vivek Agnihotri, who defines an “urban Naxal as an intellectual, influencer or activist who is an invisible enemy of India”. The idea of such a conspiracy was propagated, however, by the Sangh Parivar.
In October, Stan Swamy, an 83-year old Jesuit priest, was sent to judicial custody in the Bhima Koregaon case. His is the latest arrest in a case that illustrates a significant transformation in India’s polity and the country’s police force.
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NIA is acting as another ‘caged parrot’ like CB

NIA is acting as another ‘caged parrot’ like CB

National Herald / by Arun Srivastava/IPA

The NIA, constituted by an Act of Parliament, is also being used by the Modi government to serve its political interest.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which in recent times has suffered a severe crisis of credibility and faith in the eyes of the people has suffered yet another shattering blow with the Maharashtra government withdrawing general consent for operations within its territory…
The NIA can take up a case dealing with its scheduled offences in India without the consent of the state government in question.
But unfortunately, the NIA is also being used by the Modi government to serve its political interest. The Bhima Koregaon case is worth mentioning.
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