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Category: Persecution

NIA court rejects Surendra Gadling’s plea for walks in jail premises

NIA court rejects Surendra Gadling’s plea for walks in jail premises

Credits: Drawing by Arun Ferreira / The Polis Project

Better take complete bed rest if you are suffering: NIA court rejects Surendra Gadling’s plea for walks outside prison

12/01/2025

Hindustan Times / by Revu Suresh

NIA court denies activist Surendra Gadling’s plea for outdoor walks in jail, suggesting bed rest for his ailments instead, citing prison rules violations.
The special NIA (National Investigation Agency) court rejected a plea filed by activist-lawyer Surendra Gadling, 57, seeking permission to take morning and evening walks outside his prison cell circle within Taloja jail premises. The lawyer, who was arrested in connection with the Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon violence case, said he suffered from various ailments. In response, the court on Tuesday said if he really suffered, then he should take bed rest.
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Accused lawyer’s plea for morning, evening walks in jail premises rejected

11/01/2025

The Indian Express / by Express News Service

The court noted that while Gadling, who is lodged at Taloja Central Prison in Navi Mumbai, had cited various ailments to seek relief, the barrack in which he is kept has natural air and light available for all purposes.
… The order, passed by special sessions judge Chakor S Baviskar on January 7, was made available on Saturday.
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Court rejects Gadling’s plea to walk outside ‘circle’ in jail

11/01/2025

The Times of India / by Rebecca Samervel

Surendra Gadling, an advocate and Elgar Parishad case accused, submitted a plea to the special NIA court seeking permission to walk outside the “circle”—the designated space given to undertrials – but within the jail premises for two hours daily. He supported his request by attaching two Google Maps images to the plea.
Read more

Also read/watch:
▪ The Elgar prisoners’ latest hunger strike marks a momentous victory for prison rights (The Polis Project / Nov 2024)
▪ How Long Is Too Long for an Undertrial Prisoner To Be Detained? (The Wire | by Hany Babu & Surendra Gadling | Oct 2024)
▪ Elgar Parishad case accused seeks contempt action against Navi Mumbai cop (India Today / Oct 2024)
▪ Video: The Prison Song of Surendra Gadling (The Wire / lyrics by Ramesh Gaychor)

hindi | 11min | 2021
Gadling, a well-known criminal lawyer in Nagpur, was once a cultural activist, who sang songs of political resistance. The 11- minutes- long rendition tells you what it means to be incarcerated in Indian prisons. From food, water, to medical care, everything is a struggle, Gadling narrates. The song was recorded by one of Gadling’s colleagues and was made available to The Wire after obtaining his consent.
Watch video / Listen to the song

Rona Wilson, Sudhir Dhawale Get Bail After 6.5 Years in Bhima-Koregaon Elgaar Parishad Case

Rona Wilson, Sudhir Dhawale Get Bail After 6.5 Years in Bhima-Koregaon Elgaar Parishad Case

Rona Wilson, Sudhir Dhawale Get Bail After 6.5 Years of Jail in Elgar Parishad Case

08/01/2025

The Wire / by Sukanya Shantha

The NIA claimed before the Bombay HC that it would ‘expedite the trial’ in the case in which charges are yet to be framed.
After over six years and six months of incarceration, the Bombay high court today, January 8, granted bail to two human rights defenders, Rona Wilson and Sudhir Dhawale.
Both Wilson and Dhawale were among the first group of human rights activists to be arrested in the highly contentious Elgar Parishad case over what law enforcement claimed was their alleged Maoist links. Their bail in the high court, granted by a bench of Justice A.S. Gadkari and Justice Kamal Khata, came after an appeal was filed by their lawyers following rejections by the trial court.
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Bombay High Court Grants Bail To Rona Wilson & Sudhir Dhawale In Bhima-Koregaon Elgar Parishad Case

08/01/2025

Live Law / by Narsi Benwal

In a major relief for researcher Rona Wilson and activist Sudhir Dhawale, the Bombay High Court on Wednesday (January 8) granted them bail in the Bhima-Koregaon Elgar Parishad case.
A division bench of Justices Ajay Gadkari and Kamal Khata considered the fact that the duo have spent more than 6 years in jail as undertrials.
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Bail for activists Rona Wilson, Sudhir Dhawale in Bhima Koregaon case

08/01/2025

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

‘They are in jail since 2018, even the charges in the case are yet to be framed,’ the Bombay High Court observed on Wednesday.
Activists Rona Wilson and Sudhir Dhawale were on Wednesday granted bail by the Bombay High Court in the Bhima Koregaon case, Live Law reported.
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Bombay High Court grants bail to Rona Wilson, Sudhir Dhawale

08/01/2025

Bar & Bench / by Sahyaja MS

A Bench of Justice AS Gadkari and Justice Kamal Khata granted bail citing prolonged incarceration, the non-framing of charges and the fact that over 300 witnesses would have to be examined.
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday granted bail to Rona Wilson and Sudhir Dhawale, accused in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence case.
…
Bail was granted subject to bail bonds of ₹1 lakh and also on the condition that the accused shall report before National Investigation Agency (NIA) every Monday.
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Activists Rona Wilson, Sudhir Dhawale get bail, six accused in Elgaar Parishad case still remain behind bars

08/01/2025

The Indian Express / by Omkar Gokhale

Cites long incarceration, trial unlikely to conclude in near future
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday granted bail to activists Rona Wilson and Sudhir Dhawale, both of whom were arrested in the Elgaar Parishad case in 2018, on grounds of long incarceration without trial.
With this, of the 16 arrested in the case—initially by the Pune police in 2018 and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2020—nine are out of jail. While Father Stan Swamy passed away in custody in 2021, six still remain in custody, including Mahesh Raut, who was granted bail by the Bombay High Court in September 2023, but remains behind bars as his bail plea is pending before the Supreme Court.
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Sagar Gorkhe and Mahesh Raut granted interim bail to appear for law exams

Sagar Gorkhe and Mahesh Raut granted interim bail to appear for law exams

Mahesh Raut granted interim bail to appear for law exam

08/01/2025

Hindustan Times / by HT Correspondent

NIA court grants temporary bail to activist Mahesh Raut for law exam, requiring him to provide address and phone number, surrender post-exam.
A special NIA court on Tuesday granted temporary bail to Mahesh Raut, an activist lodged in Taloja central jail in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case, to attend his law examination. The court granted him bail from January 13 to January 30, on a personal recognition bond of ₹50,000.
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Elgar Parishad accused granted interim bail to appear for law exams

08/01/2025

India Today / by Vidya

A special NIA court granted interim bail to Mahesh Raut, accused in the Elgar Parishad case, to attend law exams. Raut, in custody since 2018, must surrender after his exams end on January 30.
A special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday granted interim bail to Mahesh Raut, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist link case, allowing him to appear for law degree examinations.
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Accused In Elgar Parishad Case Gets Interim Bail To Appear For Law Exam

07/01/2025

NDTV / by pti

The court directed Gorkhe to furnish an active mobile cell phone number to jail authorities, the NIA and the prosecution as well.
More than four years after his arrest, a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Mumbai on Friday granted interim bail to Sagar Gorkhe, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist link case, to appear for his law degree exam. The 22-day temporary bail was granted on a PR (personal recognizance) bond of Rs 50,000 and a surety of similar amount.
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Also read:
▪ Year after being granted bail, Mahesh Raut remains in jail as stay extended (The Indian Express / Sep 2024)
▪ Maharashtra: Raising the bar from behind bars (Midday.com / May 2024)
▪ Bhima Koregaon case: Two prisoners pass law entrance test (Hindustan Times / May 2024)

Bombay HC judge recuses himself from hearing Anand Teltumbde’s discharge plea

Bombay HC judge recuses himself from hearing Anand Teltumbde’s discharge plea

Anand Teltumbde Moves Bombay HC Seeking Discharge From Bhima Koregaon Case, Judge Recuses From Hearing

03/01/2025

The Wire / by The Wire Staff

Justice Kotwal said he had heard and decided bail pleas of a few other accused in the same case in his capacity as a single judge and was thus recusing himself.
Dalit rights activist Anand Teltumbde has moved Bombay High Court seeking closure of the case against him pertaining to the Bhima Koregaon violence of 2018.
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Bench recuses itself from hearing Teltumbde’s plea for discharge in Elgar Parishad case

02/01/2025

India Today / by Vidya

The Bombay High Court bench, headed by Justice Sarang Kotwal, recused itself from hearing Anand Teltumbde’s plea as the judge had previously decided on some bail applications related to the matter.
A bench of the Bombay High Court on Thursday recused itself from hearing an appeal filed by Professor Anand Teltumbde, an accused in the 2018 Elgar Parishad case in Pune. Teltumbde had approached the high court challenging the rejection of his discharge plea.
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Bombay HC judge recuses himself from hearing Anand Teltumbde’s discharge plea

02/01/2025

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

Justice Sarang Kotwal declined to hear the matter, saying that he had earlier heard and decided on bail applications of accused persons in the case.
A Bombay High Court judge on Thursday recused himself from hearing an appeal by activist and writer Anand Teltumbde demanding that he be discharged from the Bhima Koregaon case, Live Law reported.
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Bombay HC Judge Recuses From Hearing Prof Anand Teltumbde’s Appeal Against Order Rejecting Discharge Plea

02/01/2025

Live Law / by Narsi Benwal

Bombay High Court judge Justice Sarang Kotwal on Thursday (January 2) recused from hearing an appeal filed by Professor Anand Teltumbde, one of the accused in the Bhima-Koregaon case.
The judge also asked the Registry to ensure that any of the matters related to the Bhima-Koregaon case, should not be listed before him.
Read more

Also read:
▪ Indian court again refuses to hear Stan Swamy case (UCA News / Sep 2024)
▪ When Push Comes to Shove: Tracking Judicial Recusals and Transfers (The Wire / Apr 2023)

Fadnavis’ obsession with ‘urban naxals’, and a lawless Beed

Fadnavis’ obsession with ‘urban naxals’, and a lawless Beed

Drawing by Arun Fereirra

National Herald / by Navin Kumar

Several observers believe that the BJP government anticipates a number of popular unrests in the state in the coming months and is gearing up to deal with people’s anger
… It was during Fadnavis’s last tenure as chief minister that the Maharashtra police initiated the infamous Bhima-Koregaon conspiracy case. Though the case is crumbling in court, it enabled the police to arrest a large number of human rights activists including Sudha Bharadwaj, Gautam Navlakha and Anand Teltumbde in addition to Father Stan Swamy (who died in prison), Rona Wilson, Surendra Gadling, Vernon Gonsalves and Prof. Shoma Sen. Activists and civil society believe Fadnavis is setting the stage for a sequel.
Read more

Also read:
▪ Is Devendra Fadnavis planning another crackdown like Bhima-Koregaon? (National Herald / Dec 2024)
▪ Maharashtra re-introduces Bill to curb ‘urban Naxals’ (Rediff.com / Dec 2024)
▪ A New Bill Shows Maharashtra Wants to Become a Police State Before Combatting Left-Wing Extremism (The Wire / Jul 2024)
▪ Police Linked to Hacking Campaign to Frame Indian Activists (Wired.com / June 2022)
▪ Maharashtra: Activists, Lawyers Added to ‘Union War Book’, Listed as ‘Enemies of the State’ (The Wire / Jul 2021)
▪ Transfer of Bhima-Koregaon case to NIA appropriate: Devendra Fadnavis (Deccan Herald / Jan 2020)

Journalist pens about the lives of political prisoners in India

Journalist pens about the lives of political prisoners in India

Deccan Herald / by Mrityunjay Bose

During the course of extensive research, Kolhatkar spoke to political prisoners and their family members.
Journalist and political analyst Neeta Kolhatkar has written about the life and struggles of the political prisoners in India. The prisoners include Dr Binayak Sen, paediatrician, public health specialist and social activist, and Prof Anand Teltumbde, eminent scholar, Dalit activist and management teacher.
Read more

The Feared
Conversations with Eleven Political Prisoners
simonandschuster.co.in / by Neeta Kolhatkar
During long discussions, sometimes taking place over multiple meetings, Kolhatkar unearths personal anecdotes from the time her interviewees were incarcerated, bringing into focus the human face of prison inmates, while also detailing the wretched conditions relating to space, hygiene, medical attention, and food that they experienced. Apart from being an urgent call to action for prison reforms, The Feared is thus also an account of hope and strength, narrating unique stories of survival and solidarity, and the unexpected bonds and relationships formed in prison.
Author: Neeta Kolhatkar
Publisher: S&S India (December 20, 2024)
Length: 272 pages
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Also read:
▪ THE BK-16 PRISON DIARIES SERIES (THE POLIS PROJECT / 2024)
▪ Process as Punishment – Recent books that bear witness to the BK-16’s incarceration (The Caravan / Jul 2024)
▪ From Phansi Yard: My Year with the Women of Yerawada (Juggernaut │ Sudha Bharadwaj │ Oct 2023)

Is Devendra Fadnavis planning another crackdown like Bhima-Koregaon?

Is Devendra Fadnavis planning another crackdown like Bhima-Koregaon?

Drawing by Arun Fereirra

Is Devendra Fadnavis planning another crackdown like Bhima-Koregaon?

21/12/2024

National Herald / by AJ Prabal

Why would the Maharashtra chief minister require a new law to deal with alleged ‘urban Naxals’?
One of the first acts of Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has been to introduce a special legislation to deal with ‘urban Naxals’ in the state.
… Recalling the Bhima-Koregaon case lodged in 2018 when Fadnavis was once again chief minister, Yadav suspected that Maharashtra Police could be planning a similar crackdown on political rivals and activists.
Read more

Fadnavis won’t be called for deposing before Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry

19/12/2024

The Indian Express / by Chandan Haygunde

Prakash Ambedkar had submitted a letter in June 2023 to the commission demanding deposition of Fadnavis, Mallick and Suvez Haque, the then superintendent of police, Pune Rural, as witness in connection with the ongoing inquiry into the Koregaon Bhima violence.
The Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry, which is probing into the causes of violence reported in Koregaon Bhima area in Pune district on January 1, 2018, has decided not to call Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for deposing as a witness.
Read more

Also read:
▪ Maharashtra re-introduces Bill to curb ‘urban Naxals’ (Rediff.com / Dec 2024)
▪ A New Bill Shows Maharashtra Wants to Become a Police State Before Combatting Left-Wing Extremism (The Wire / Jul 2024)
▪ Maharashtra: Activists, Lawyers Added to ‘Union War Book’, Listed as ‘Enemies of the State’ (The Wire / Jul 2021)
▪ Transfer of Bhima-Koregaon case to NIA appropriate: Devendra Fadnavis (Deccan Herald / Jan 2020)

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.
Read more

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.
Read more

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)

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.
Read more

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)