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Category: Persecution

Unable to pay rent, Varavara Rao to shift to an ashram-like facility behind Shah Rukh Khan’s Mannat

Unable to pay rent, Varavara Rao to shift to an ashram-like facility behind Shah Rukh Khan’s Mannat

India Today / by Vidya

Telugu poet Varavara Rao, an accused in the 2018 Elgar Parishad case, told the special NIA court in Mumbai on Tuesday that he was shifting from a high society flat in Mumbai to an ashram-like facility in Bandra as he was unable to afford rent.
Advocate Niraj Yadav, appearing for Rao, said his client would shift to an ashram-like facility which is right behind actor Shah Rukh Khan’s bungalow, Mannat.
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Kin harried as phone calls of undertrials discontinued

Kin harried as phone calls of undertrials discontinued

‘Emotional Torture’: Why Don’t Indian Jails Give Inmates a Right to Phone Calls?

16/11/2021

The Quint / by Vakasha Sachdev

With pandemic restrictions easing, many states are once more taking away the option to call families and lawyers.
Dear Reader,
The Indian criminal justice system is plagued by apathy, indifference and indeed, injustice. This story is The Quint’s effort to ensure that the many everyday tragedies of this system do not remain mere statistics. It’s the story of Archana, who will have to travel for eight hours and wait in line for as long, to meet her imprisoned brother Vinod for 5-7 minutes. Of Sahba, whose partner Gautam is an undertrial in a jail in a different part of the country, who will no longer be allowed to speak to him on the phone.
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Kin harried as phone calls of undertrials discontinued

15/11/2021

The Indian Express / by Sadaf Modak

The prison department has decided to discontinue phone calls and video calls from prisoners after physical mulaqats (meetings) were resumed last month.
It has been a month since Sahba Husain spoke to her partner, Gautam Navlakha, lodged at Taloja Central Jail in Navi Mumbai as an undertrial in the Elgaar Parishad case. Husain is one of the many family members affected by the decision by the Maharashtra prison department to discontinue phone calls and video calls from prisoners after physical mulaqats (meetings) were resumed last month.
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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)

How the ‘anda cell’ is used to discipline inmates / Do we run to courts for basic human rights? / Video

How the ‘anda cell’ is used to discipline inmates / Do we run to courts for basic human rights? / Video

How the ‘anda cell’ is used to discipline prison inmates

28/10/2021

The Indian Express / by Jinee Lokaneeta

The torturous practice of solitary confinement, whether for 24 hours or a large part of a day, remains a key feature of modern prisons, sometimes by another name. The continued use of an “anda” (egg-shaped) cell or high security cell in the Indian context appears to be, in effect, the use of solitary confinement — defined by many as cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or torture — by another name. The news that eminent journalist and human rights activist and scholar implicated in the Bhima Koregaon case, Gautam Navlakha, has been moved to an “anda” circle in Taloja jail on October 12 is just another reminder that imprisonment itself appears inadequate for the state.
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Do we run to courts for basic human rights? asks Navlakha’s partner, says he’s not allowed to call

27/10/2021

The Print / by Bismee Taskin

Sahba Husain says the rights activist has also been denied access to the library, canteen and jail’s green areas ever since he was shifted to the high-security Anda cell.
It was in April last year when human rights activist Gautam Navlakha surrendered before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the Bhima Koregaon case.
Since then Navlakha has been in prison — first in Delhi’s Tihar jail and then in the Taloja jail in Mumbai. Earlier this month, the 70-year-old, along with five other accused, was shifted to the high-security ‘Anda cell’ of the Mumbai prison.
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Also watch: Book Launch “Colours of the Cage”


en | 1h 10min | 2014
‘Colours of the Cage’ is the real story of what goes on behind bars – it isn’t like the celluloid or novelistic versions that readers are familiar with. However, it is not just a harrowing account of life in prison but also a memoir of astonishing power – about a man’s stubborn fight for justice and the triumph of the human will.
This video was recorded at the launch of Arun’s book ‘Colours of the Cage’ on the 26th of September, 2014 at the Press Club, Mumbai. Seated on the dais from the left, are journalist-author Naresh Fernandes, author-poet Varavara Rao, Arun Ferreira and playwright-director Ramu Ramanathan.
Watch video

Also read:
● Kin of jailed activists write to authorities to not discontinue telephone calls (Sabrangindia / Oct 25, 2021)

Varavara Rao need not surrender before jail officials until November 18, says HC

Varavara Rao need not surrender before jail officials until November 18, says HC

Varavara Rao need not surrender before jail officials until November 18, says HC

27/10/2021

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

The court asked the poet-activist to file a separate plea seeking permission to shift from Mumbai to his hometown in Hyderabad.
Poet Varavara Rao, an accused in the Bhima Koregaon case, need not surrender before the Taloja Jail authorities in Navi Mumbai until November 18, the Bombay High Court said on Tuesday, according to PTI.
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HC says Varavara Rao needn’t surrender till Nov 18

26/10/2021

The Leaflet / by The Leaflet

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday said poet Varavara Rao, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case who is on interim bail, need not surrender before the Taloja prison authorities until November 18 and adjourned the hearing on a plea filed by him to next month.
Rao, 82, had been granted interim bail for six months on medical grounds by the HC on February 22 this year.
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Also read: Varavara Rao moves Karnataka HC against non-bailable warrant in 2005 case (Gauri Lankesh News, Oct 26, 2021)

Condemn The Solitary Confinement Of The Bhima Koregaon Accused!

Condemn The Solitary Confinement Of The Bhima Koregaon Accused!

By Peoples Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR)

CONDEMN THE SOLITARY CONFINEMENT AND CONTINUING HARASSMENT OF THE BHIMA KOREGAON ACCUSED BY TALOJA CENTRAL JAIL AUTHORITIES!
STOP PUNISHING POLITICAL PRISONERS FOR THEIR BELIEFS!

The high handedness of the Taloja Central Jail administration was evident in the events leading to the death of the octogenarian Bhima Koregaon undertrail, Stan Swamy on July 5, 2021. Almost immediately, the remaining BK undertrials protested the arbitrary jail conditions imposed by the then Superintendent, Kaustabh Kurlekar by observing a one-day hunger strike. However, far from bringing such persecution to an end, a new repressive regime has been installed by Superintendent UT Pawar. Its latest manifestation is the transfer of Vernon Gonsalves, Sagar Gokhale, Ramesh Gaichor, Surendra Gadling, Sudhir Dhawale and most recently on 12 October 2021 Gautam Navlakha to the ‘anda’ circle, the high security prison area in Taloja Jail. Imprisonment in the anda cell is a form of solitary confinement which is blatantly illegal in the case of undertrial prisoners.
Read full statement

Varavara Rao moves Karnataka HC against non-bailable warrant in 2005 case

Varavara Rao moves Karnataka HC against non-bailable warrant in 2005 case

Varavara Rao moves Karnataka HC against non-bailable warrant in 2005 case

26/10/2021

Gauri Lankesh News / by Gauri Lankesh News Desk

A lower court in Madhugiri district of Karnataka has issued summons to Varavara Rao in one of the cases dating back to 2005.
Last week a lower court in Karnataka issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Telugu poet Varavara Rao in connection with the 2005 police massacre case. In response to that his counsel has filed a petition before the Karnataka High Court pleading to set aside warrant.
… The police alleged that the provocative speeches of Rao and Gaddar resulted in the Naxal attack. While 22 persons who were facing similar charges were later acquitted but the case against these two people continued.
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Madhugiri court issue non-bailable warrant against revolutionary poet Varavara Rao

24/10/2021

The New Indian Express / by Espress News Service

The court, in its order on Thursday, has also forfeited the surety bond of Rs 50,000, said his counsel Nagi Reddy.
The fourth additional district and sessions court at Madhugiri in Tumakuru district recently issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against revolutionary poet Varavara Rao for not appearing before it in a case concerning the massacre of six KSRP men by Naxalites on February 6, 2005 at Venkatammanahalli of Pavagada taluk.
… Rao was booked as one of the accused with the charge that his speech in Bengaluru might have also played a role in Naxal retaliation.
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Varavara Rao to move HC on non-bailable warrant

22/10/2021

The Hindu / by Special Correspondent

Additional sessions court in Madhugiri issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) on Thursday to poet-activist Varavara Rao in connection with the Naxal attack case dating back to 2005. It issued the warrant for non-appearance before the court.
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Allow phone calls with prisoners, say kin of Elgar Parishad accused

Allow phone calls with prisoners, say kin of Elgar Parishad accused

Allow phone calls with prisoners, say kin of Elgar Parishad accused

26/10/2021

Times of India / by Shishir Arya

Relatives of the Elgar Parishad case accused lodged in jail have demanded that the special facility of allowing phone calls by prisoners started during the Covid pandemic should not be discontinued. The facility has been demanded for all the prisoners, irrespective of the cases under which they have been held.
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Kin of jailed activists write to authorities to not discontinue telephone calls

25/10/2021

Sabrangindia / by Sabrangindia

Since prisons are all set to resume physical mulaqats, the authorities have informed the families that weekly calls will no longer be functional.
The family members of the accused undertrials in the Bhima Koregaon violence case, have written to the Additional Director General of Police (Prisons) and Special Inspector General of Police (Prisons) to continue the weekly phone calls with them.
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Gautam Navlakha’s health has worsened in jail, not being allowed phone calls, says his partner

Gautam Navlakha’s health has worsened in jail, not being allowed phone calls, says his partner

Phone calls, daily walks in jail’s green area stopped, says Navlakha’s partner

24/10/2021

The Hindu / by Special Correspondent

His fragile health and well-being will be further jeopardised by these actions, says Sahba Husain.
Activist and journalist Gautam Navlakha, who was arrested in the Bhima Koregaon case in 2020, has recently been shifted to a high-security section of the Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai and not allowed to call his family and lawyers, said his partner, Sahba Husain, in a statement on Sunday.
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Gautam Navlakha’s health has worsened in jail, not being allowed phone calls, says his partner

24/10/2021

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

The health condition of activist Gautam Navlakha deteriorated after he was shifted to the high-security barrack called the “Anda circle” in Navi Mumbai’s Taloja Jail, his partner Sahba Husain said on Sunday.
In a statement, Husain also said that the Bhima Koregaon case accused was not being allowed to make phone calls to his family members and lawyers.
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Full Statement by Sabha Husain

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Only ‘objectionable’ letters are being withheld by prison authorities: NIA to Bombay HC

Only ‘objectionable’ letters are being withheld by prison authorities: NIA to Bombay HC

Only ‘objectionable’ letters of accused are being withheld by prison authorities: NIA to Bombay HC

23/10/2021

Sabrangindia / by Sabrangindia

Families of accused persons Anand Teltumbde and Vernon Gonsalves have alleged that the prison authorities are withholding letters sent to and received from the jailed activities.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA), that is investigating the Bhima Koregaon violence case, has informed the Bombay high court that jail authorities are only withholding “objectionable” letters written by the Bhima Koregaon accused.
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Anand Teltumbde’s Letters Alleged Planting Of Evidence On Computer, Had Objectionable Contents, Hence Withheld: NIA

23/10/2021

Live Law / by Sharmeen Hakim

Taloja Prison officials only restricted “objectionable” and “incriminating” letters written by Professor Anand Teltumbde and activist Vernon Gonsalves as it was “hampering the trial” and material against them in the Bhima-Koregaon Elgar Parishad Case, the National Investigating Agency has said.
The NIA’s reply responds to their wives’ – Rama Teltumbde and Susan Abraham’s – plea in the Bombay High Court seeking action against the then Superintendent of Taloja Prison for withholding communication with family.
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Only those letters of accused with suspicious content withheld: NIA to Bombay High Court

23/10/2021

Bar & Bench / by Neha Joshi

The NIA’s submission came in response to a plea by wives of Anand Teltumbde and Vernon Gonsalves, alleging that superintendent of Taloja Central Prison was withholding letters sent to and received from family members.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has told the Bombay High Court that not all letters written by Bhima Koregaon accused to their family members are being withheld by the jail superintendent.
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