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Category: Persecution

After 1 week of interim bail Surendra Gadling returns to Taloja jail

After 1 week of interim bail Surendra Gadling returns to Taloja jail

by Indira Jaising / @Ijaising (Jan 3)

After 1 week of interim bail, in the Bhima Koregaon case.

Surendra Gadling returns to Taloja jail.
We
The stuggle for freedom will prevail. But look at that smile , that victory sign , that good cheer after over 5 years in Taloja jail.

Disclaimer , I am one among many of his lawyers.


Also read/watch:
NIA court gives temporary bail to Surendra Gadling to attend wedding in Nagpur (Hindustan Times / Dec 2023)
Surendra Gadling’s Computer Was Attacked, Incriminating Documents Planted: Arsenal Consulting (The Wire / July 2021)
Video: The Prison Song of Surendra Gadling (The Wire / lyrics by Ramesh Gaychor)

hindi | 11min | 2021
51- year-old 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

Bhima Koregaon: The process continues to clot as punishment as another year passes by

Bhima Koregaon: The process continues to clot as punishment as another year passes by

Poster by #bakeryprasad

The Leaflet / by Ayaz Parrey and Sarah Thanawala

Many of the accused in the Bhima Koregaon–Elgar Parishad case have now spent one more year incarcerated without a trial. A far cry from the verbiage of high judicial officials that even a day’s denial of liberty is too much.
… Here is a recap of the major developments in the case this year, of bail applications granted, stayed and pending; the consistent pleas for the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to comply with the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1973; and the courts heeding to medical conditions-related pleas of the accused.
Read more

Delhi police special cell questions Gautam Navlakha in NewsClick case

Delhi police special cell questions Gautam Navlakha in NewsClick case

Gautam Navlakha

‘NewsClick’ case: Gautam Navlakha questioned by Delhi Police

31/12/2023

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

The activist and is a shareholder of PPK NewsClick Studio Private Limited since 2018, according to the first information report in the case.
Activist Gautam Navlakha was on Saturday questioned by the Delhi Police in connection with a case against news website NewsClick filed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, reported PTI.
Read more


Delhi police special cell questions Gautam Navlakha in NewsClick case

31/12/2023

Hindustan Times / by G Mohiuddin Jeddy

A team of the Delhi police special cell arrived in Mumbai on Saturday to question activist Gautam Navlakha in connection with the Newsclick foreign funding case. Navlakha is currently under house arrest in Navi Mumbai in the Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon violence case.
Read more


Activist Gautam Navlakha to be questioned over foreign funding, links with ISI

24/12/2023

India Today / by Arvind Ojha

The special cell of Delhi police will question activist Gautam Navlakha about his alleged involvement with Chinese funding and a nexus with Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai, who was arrested by the FBI in the US.
The Delhi Police special cell will interrogate activist and journalist Gautam Navlakha at his residence in Mumbai next week, as part of the ongoing investigation into allegations of foreign funding and connections with Pakistan’s spy agency ISI.
Read more


Delhi Police seek 3-month extension for NewsClick probe, to question Gautam Navlakha Wednesday

19/12/2023

The Print / by Bismee Taskin

Also accused in Bhima Koregaon case, activist Gautam Navlakha will be questioned in connection with ‘illegal funds’ which Delhi police claim were routed to NewsClick, it is learnt.
The Delhi police have sought a three-month extension before a court here to complete its investigation in the NewsClick case, ThePrint has learnt.
Read more


Delhi Police gets permission to question rights activist Gautam Navlakha in Newsclick case

16/12/2023

The Indian Express / by Express News Service

The police want to question Navlakha, a shareholder of PPK Newsclick Studio Pvt Ltd, about illegal funds’ they accuse him to have received in the past five years
Delhi Police’s Special Cell has got a court’s permission to question human rights activist Gautam Navlakha, an accused in the UAPA case registered against him and staffers of the NewsClick website, at his home in Navi Mumbai, where he has been under house arrest in the Bhima Koregaon case.
Read more


Also read:
Newsclick case: Portal’s HR head Chakravarty moves Delhi court seeking to turn approver (The New Indian Express / Dec 25, 2023)
This Is the Biggest Crackdown on the Indian Press by the Indian State (The Wire / Oct 2023)


Gautam Navlakha

Gautam Navlakha has a tremendous archive of writings from the 1980s to the present, documented by The Friends of Gautam Navlakha.
To read some of his recent writings and a full list of his articles with NewsClick, Economic & Political Weekly and the platform Sanhati visit: Gautam Navlakha – Journalist, Human Rights Defender, Political Prisoner

Excerpts from ‘From Phansi Yard: My Year with Women of Yerawada’ by Sudha Bharadwaj

Excerpts from ‘From Phansi Yard: My Year with Women of Yerawada’ by Sudha Bharadwaj

By People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL)

Sudha Bharadwaj’s recently published book ‘From Phansi Yard: My Year with the Women of Yerawada’ is a tenderly written collection of her memories, through which one gets to witness her resilient spirit, and yet, her vulnerabilities. In the book, she observes, reflects and chronicles stories of women prisoners, prison conditions and her own journey.
… The book begins with an interview, in which she narrates her story, her memories of the beginning of her activism, her relationship with her daughter and the work she did with the Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha. Here are some excerpts from the book, that illustrate the warmth and compassion with which she wrote about her fellow prisoners (whom she has numbered and left anonymous), and her unyielding courage with which she survived incarceration.
Read more


From Phansi Yard: My Year with the Women of Yerawada

Author: Sudha Bhardwaj
Publisher: Juggernaut
Pages: 216
Order


Also watch/read:

● Video – Book Release: Why is the state afraid of Sudha Bharadwaj?

By People’s Union for Civil Liberties, Jan 2021en + hindi | 2h 53min | 2021

Topic: Why is the state afraid of Sudha Bharadwaj?
A long interview conducted with Sudha over several days before she was arrested is now being published as an online book “Sudha Bharadwaj Speaks – A Life in Law and Activism”, and will be released at this webinar by the well-known writer, Nayantara Sahgal. Sudha’s daughter, Maaysha, her lawyer Yug Chaudhary, social activist Harsh Mandar, historian Uma Chakravarti amongst other coworkers & colleagues, will also share their experiences and memories of working with her.
Watch video @ PUCL Facebook (videos)

● Sudha Bharadwaj speaks – A Life in Law and Activism


Publisher: Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL)
Edition: January 2021
Language: English
Sudha Bharadwaj’s interview by: Darshana Mitra and Santanu Chakraborty
Paperback: 316 pages
Access a free PDF copy of the book here:
Sudha_Bharadwaj_speaks (2,1 MB)


● Video: The Conditions of Prisoners in Indian Jails

By All India Lawyers’ Association for Justice – AILAJ | March 2022

en | 1:21:23 | 2022
The huge number of undertrials, the overcrowding, and the disproportional numbers of Dalit, Muslim and Adivasi prisoners are part of the prison problem in India.
We are joined by Adv. Sudha Bharadwaj for a discussion on the Conditions of Prisoners in Indian Jails.
Watch video

‘Ominous portents’: Why High Court staying its own bail orders in Bhima Koregaon case is troubling

‘Ominous portents’: Why High Court staying its own bail orders in Bhima Koregaon case is troubling

Scroll.in / by Vineet Bhalla

Mahesh Raut was granted bail in September but he remains in prison. A similar fate might await Gautam Navlakha, who was granted bail on Tuesday.
More than five years after he was arrested in the Bhima Koregaon case, journalist and activist Gautam Navlakha was finally granted bail by the Bombay High Court on Tuesday. However, he is unlikely to walk out of prison soon.
Another person accused in the case, activist Mahesh Raut, was granted bail by the High Court in September. Nearly four months later, he is still in prison.
Read more


Also read:
Supreme Court extends stay on bail granted to Mahesh Raut again (The Leaflet / Oct 2023)
Supreme Court extends stay on bail granted to Mahesh Raut (The Leaflet / Sep 27, 2023)
Bhima Koregaon: Bombay High Court grants regular bail to Mahesh Raut (The Leaflet / Sep 21, 2023)

Bombay HC grants bail to Gautam Navlakha but stays order for NIA to file appeal [read order]

Bombay HC grants bail to Gautam Navlakha but stays order for NIA to file appeal [read order]

Gautam Navlakha

No evidence to show Bhima Koregaon accused Gautam Navlakha was involved in terrorist act: Bombay High Court [read order]

21/12/2023

Bar & Bench / by Neha Joshi

The Court the evidence on record indicated that Navlakha can at the most be said to have been a member of the banned CPI (Maoist) and therefore, it would only attract offences under Sections 13 and 38 of UAPA.
There is no prima facie evidence to show that activist Gautam Navlakha was involved in any terrorist act under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), the Bombay High Court observed while granting him bail in the Bhima Koregaon case of 2018. [Gautam Navlakha v. National Investigation Agency & Ors.]
Read more
Read order


No material to show that Gautam Navlakha committed terrorist act, says Bombay HC in bail order

21/12/2023

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

The court allowed the activist’s bail petition on Tuesday, and the detailed judgement was made public on Wednesday.
The Bombay High Court said on Tuesday that there was no material to suggest that activist and journalist Gautam Navlakha had committed a terrorist act as defined by the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Read more


Bombay High Court Grants Bail To Journalist Gautam Navlakha In Bhima Koregaon – Elgar Parishad Case [read order]

20/12/2023

Live Law / by Sharmeen Hakim

There is no material to infer senior journalist and accused Gautam Navlakha had committed a terrorist Act as contemplated under Section 15 of UAPA, the Bombay High Court observed in its detailed order granting him bail in the Bhima Koregaon – Elgar Parishad Case.
“The actual involvement of the appellant in any terrorist act cannot be even inferred from any of the communications and/ or statements of the witnesses,” the court observed.
Read more
Read order


Bombay High Court grants, stays bail to Gautam Navlakha

19/12/2023

The Leaflet / by Sarah Thanawala

Following a concerning trend, a Bench of Justices A.S. Gadkari and Shivkumar Dige has allowed a stay of three weeks on the bail Order.
On Tuesday, the Bombay High Court granted bail to journalist and human rights activist Gautam Navlakha.
Read more


Bombay High Court Grants Bail To Gautam Navlakha In Bhima Koregaon Case; Stays Order For 3 Weeks

19/12/2023

Live Law / by Livelaw News Network

The Bombay High Court has granted bail to senior journalist and activist Gautam Navlakha, an accused in the Bhima Koregaon- Elgar Parishad case over alleged Maoist links.
The order was passed by a division bench headed by Justice AS Gadkari, making him the seventh accused to be granted bail in the the case.
After the NIA urged the court to stay the order for a period of six weeks, the court stayed the order for three weeks.
Read more


Bombay High Court Grants Bail to Gautam Navlakha

19/12/2023

Bar & Bench / by Neha Joshi

He is the seventh accused to get bail in the Bhima Koregaon case after Sudha Bharadwaj, Varavara Rao, Anand Teltumbde, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira.
The Bombay High Court on Tuesday granted bail to activist Gautam Navlakha, accused in Bhima Koregaon riot case of 2018.
A division bench of Justices AS Gadkari and SG Dige imposed the same conditions for bail on Navlakha as imposed on the co-accused, Anand Teltumbde and Mahesh Raut.
Read more


Bombay High Court Grants Bail to Gautam Navlakha in Elgar Parishad Case

19/12/2023

The Wire / by The Wire Staff

The court has put a three-week stay on its decision in which the National Investigation Agency can approach the Supreme Court.
… Five of the accused – lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj, poet Varavara Rao, academic Anand Teltumbe, lawyer Arun Ferreira and activist Vernon Gonsalves – are currently out on bail. Father Stan Swamy, a tribal rights activist and Jesuit priest, passed away while in custody.
Activist Mahesh Raut was granted bail in September, but remains in jail as the stay on that decision was extended.
Read more

Bombay High Court asks probe agency NIA for ‘correct facts’ in Elgar Parishad case

Bombay High Court asks probe agency NIA for ‘correct facts’ in Elgar Parishad case

Poster by @/bakeryprasad

India Today / by Vidya

The Bombay High Court has told the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to give a proper response to a request from some of the Elgar Parishad accused who are seeking default bail. The court mentioned that there are incorrect facts in the documents submitted.
While observing that “incorrect facts are stated in the pleadings”, the Bombay High Court has directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to file a proper reply to the petition filed by some of the accused in the Elgar Parishad case while praying for default bail.
… The court then adjourned the hearing of the petitions to January 16.
Read more


Bombay High Court rejects default bail plea of Varavara Rao and seven other accused (The Leaflet / May 2022)
Bombay HC grants default bail to Sudha Bharadwaj, but declines the same to eight other accused (The Leaflet / Dec 2021)

Sudha Bharadwaj: What I knew in the abstract I was now living, feeling and observing

Sudha Bharadwaj: What I knew in the abstract I was now living, feeling and observing

Sudha Bharadwaj

The Leaflet / by Freny Manecksha

In this interview, trade unionist and lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj, who was jailed in the Bhima-Koregaon matter and has just produced a book on From Phansi Yard: My Year with the Women of Yerawada, tells Freny Manecksha how prison changes one for the worse, but also for the better.

“But the irony is on the day they (Adivasis of Sarkeguda, Chhattisgarh) are vindicated, seven years after they began their fight, I, their first lawyer, am in jail 1,000 kilometers away! Yet it is a happy day.”
Read more


Also read:
Prison Occupancy Rose In 2022, Despite Campaign To Release Undertrials. Three in four prisoners continue to be undertrials, a majority of whom belong to oppressed caste groups (Indiaspend.com | Shreehari Paliath | Dec 2023)

● Sudha Bharadwaj speaks – A Life in Law and Activism


Publisher: Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL)
Edition: January 2021
Language: English
Sudha Bharadwaj’s interview by: Darshana Mitra and Santanu Chakraborty
Paperback: 316 pages
Access a free PDF copy of the book here:
Sudha_Bharadwaj_speaks (2,1 MB)

Contrary To SC’s Rules Of Assignment, At Least 8 Politically Sensitive Cases Moved To One Judge In 4 Months

Contrary To SC’s Rules Of Assignment, At Least 8 Politically Sensitive Cases Moved To One Judge In 4 Months


An analysis of eight politically sensitive cases shows they were moved to Justice Bela M Trivedi of the Supreme Court over the past four months, even though the rules of assignment say they should remain with the senior judge or before a judge hearing a similar case. Close to six years after four Supreme Court justices raised the issue of cases being assigned before a specific judge, senior lawyers have now questioned the manner of moving cases by the ‘master of the roster’, the Chief Justice of India.

The Case Of Mahesh Raut
A similar pattern is visible in the incarcerated Bhima Koregaon-Elgar Parishad violence case accused Raut’s bail plea.
Raut, who is a researcher and forest rights activist, was arrested in June 2018 by the Pune police for his alleged connection with the violence that broke out on 1 January 2018, in Bhima Koregaon village near Pune.
Read more


Also read:
‘Ominous portents’: Why High Court staying its own bail orders in Bhima Koregaon case is troubling (Scroll.in / Dec 2023)
Bhima Koregaon: Bombay High Court grants regular bail to Mahesh Raut (The Leaflet / Sep 2023)

As Watali casts a long shadow, Jagtap’s bail plea adjourned, to be heard after Shoma Sen’s

As Watali casts a long shadow, Jagtap’s bail plea adjourned, to be heard after Shoma Sen’s

Jyoti Jagtap

The Leaflet / by Shrikha Gowri

A division bench of the Supreme Court said it will next hear Jyoti Jagtap’s bail petition in the third week of January, after Shoma Sen’s regular bail plea has been heard.
Today, the Supreme Court said it will hear anti-caste activist and musical performer Jyoti Jagtap’s bail plea after Shoma Sen’s bail petition.
Read more


Also read:
SC says principles of Arun and Vernon bail judgment to apply to Jyoti Jagtap (The Leaflet / Nov 1, 2023)
Supreme Court asks whether Gonsalves and Ferreira judgment “formula” can be applied to Jyoti Jagtap (The Leaflet / Aug 2023)
Kabir Kala Manch: A History of Revolutionary Singing and State Repression (ritimo / April 2022)