Persecution – Page 79 – free them all

Sudha Bharadwaj allowed access to 5 books per month from outside jail

14/01/2021 Rani

Sudha Bharadwaj allowed access to 5 books per month from outside jail

14/01/2021

Hindustan Times / by Charul Shah

The special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Tuesday allowed access to books from outside the prison, to activist and lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj.
The special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Tuesday allowed access to books from outside the prison, to activist and lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj. The court has, however, asked the prison authorities to check the contents, if they are objectionable, before allowing the same.
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NIA Court Allows Sudha Bharadwaj’s Application Seeking Access To Five Books A Month From Outside

14/01/2021

Live Law / by Nitish Kashyap

The special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Tuesday allowed access of five books a month to lawyer and activist Sudha Bharadwaj, who is a accused in the caste based violence that took place on the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Bhima Koregaon on January 1, 2018.
Special Judge DE Kothalikar directed the Superintendent of Byculla District Prison to grant the access of books to Sudha Bharadwaj with the condition that the said books will be examined by him.
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Consider Varavara Rao’s age, health while arguing against bail plea: Bombay HC to NIA [read order]

14/01/2021 Rani

Consider Varavara Rao’s age, health while arguing against bail plea: Bombay HC to NIA [read order]

14/01/2021

Sabrang / by Sabrang India

The court further extended his hospital stay while taking on record his medical reports filed by the hospital.
The Bombay High Court commented, during the hearing of Dr. Varavara Rao’s bail plea, that the government and the NIA should take into consideration his age and ailing condition while arguing against the plea. The next hearing is scheduled for January 19, as per court’s orders. It is expected that on the next date, parties will make submissions with regards to the bail plea.
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Consider Varavara Rao’s age and health: Bombay HC tells NIA on activist’s medical bail plea

13/01/2021

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

The NIA presented two fresh reports from Nanavati Hospital on Rao’s health to the court.
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday said that the National Investigation Agency and Maharashtra government should keep in mind the age and health condition of poet-activist Varavara Rao while making submissions on his bail plea, PTI reported. A bench of Justices SS Shinde and Manish Pitale was hearing the plea moved by Rao’s wife Hemlata, seeking relief on medical grounds.
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Podcast: Bhima Koregoan violence – Three years on, Activists remain arrested and justice remain awaited

12/01/2021 Rani

Drawing by Arun Ferreira

By On Record

Three years after the caste violence in Bhima Koregoan, 16 human right activists have been arrested under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act in connection with the case. Multiple conspiracy theories have been laid out by the police but it may be long before they are proved and the guilty is punished.
Professor Apoorvanand from Delhi University and Harish Vasudevan, an advocate practicing at Kerala High court share their insights for the story.
Listen to podcast (11:00min)

HC Orders Hospital To Submit Fresh Report On Varvara Rao’s Health Condition [read order]

08/01/2021 Rani

Bombay HC Orders Nanavati Hospital To Submit Fresh Report On Varvara Rao’s Health Condition [read order]

08/01/2021

Live Law / by Nitish Kashyap

The Bombay High Court on Thursday directed the Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital at Mumbai to submit a fresh report about the health condition of Dr. PV Varavara Rao on the next date of hearing on January 13 and observed that the 81-year-old Telugu poet accused in the Bhima Koregaon violence will remain in hospital till then.
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Court allows Varavara Rao to stay in hospital till January 13

07/01/2021

Hindustan Times / by K A Y Dodhia

Rao is among over a dozen scholars and rights activists arrested for their alleged links with Maoists and for allegedly instigating violence at Bhima Koregaon near Pune in 2018.
The Bombay high court on Thursday allowed ailing jailed Telugu poet P Varavara Rao, 82, to remain until January 13 in a Mumbai hospital, where he was late last year admitted to on the court’s directions for better treatment.
The extension was granted even as Rao’s condition has improved after his wife, P Hemlatha, sought one-week to go through his medical reports. It also scheduled the hearing of his bail plea on health grounds on January 13.
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Varavara Rao to remain in hospital till next week, says HC

07/01/2021

The Telegraph / by Telegraph Bureau, Agencies

Division bench extends activist’s stay, state government submits health update.
The Bombay High Court on Thursday said that jailed Telugu poet-activist Varavara Rao will continue to stay at a private hospital in Mumbai till January 13.
Rao, 80, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, was admitted to Nanavati Hospital in the city owing to his health issues in November following the court’s orders.
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Bhima Koregaon case: Three years of legal and rights violations

02/01/2021 Rani

Newslaundry / by Prateek Goyal

The violation of the rights of the activists, lawyers and scholars, disregard for rules and misuse of law has marked the case since the very beginning.
Maharashtra’s prisons routinely provide TVs, refrigerators, air conditioners, cellphones, and homemade food to hardcore criminals and politicians. Yet, they refused to give a drinking straw to Stan Swamy, an 83-year-old scholar and activist awaiting trial. The police also denied a request to allow the family of Gautam Navlakha, who is 70, to send him prescription glasses. The courts were petitioned but they did little to help.
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Bhima Koregaon, Elgar Parishad: One-Sided Probe / Ex-HC judge condemns jailing of activists

31/12/2020 Rani

Bhima Koregaon, Elgar Parishad: One-Sided Probe

01/01/2021

HW English / by Neeta Kolhatkar

Hindu right-wing duo, Milind Ekbote and Manohar Bhide, the two main accused named by Anita Sawle in her FIR, are obviously still free.
This December 31, it will be three years since the Elgar Parishad held in Shaniwarwada, Pune, historically was considered the seat, of power seat of the Peshwas. The Parishad was attended by intellectuals, lawyers, activists, students, members of the Kabir Kala Manch and other participants.
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Ex-HC judge condemns jailing of Bhima Koregaon activists

01/01/2021

Deccan Herald / DHNS

The 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence has only increased the popularity of the Bhima Koregaon victory celebrations, retired Karnataka High Court judge H N Naga Mohan Das has said.
Participating in the 203rd historic Bhima Koregaon commemoration event organised virtually by the Babasaheb Dr BR Ambedkar Studies and Research Centre of Bangalore University, Justice Das on Wednesday condemned the term ‘Urban Naxals’ used on participants of the 2018 incident and the continued imprisonment of some of them.
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Withdraw scurrilous allegations: Sudha Bharadwaj files application against NIA

29/12/2020 Rani

Withdraw scurrilous allegations: Sudha Bharadwaj files application against NIA and its lawyers

29/12/2020

Bar & Bench / by Neha Joshi

She has stated that the Court should not be reduced to a forum of gossip and slander under the guise of legal arguments.
Bhima Koregaon case accused Sudha Bharadwaj has filed an application in the Special NIA Court at Mumbai praying for the withdrawal of the allegations made against her in the reply filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
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Sudha Bharadwaj requests NIA to withdraw ‘defamatory’ remark

29/12/2020

Free Press Journal / by Bhavna Uchil

Activist Sudha Bharadwaj made an application before the special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Tuesday, seeking that court direct the agency and its prosecutor withdraw their “defamatory” remark against her.
On December 10, Bharadwaj had made a plea seeking copies of witness statements in which the identities of witnesses and their addresses be protected as allowed by law, but the contents of the statements not be truncated in various portions. Her plea had said that the truncation is obstructing her defence as the statements are not making sense with the truncations.
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Special court directs NIA to supply statements of witnesses to Sudha Bharadwaj

29/12/2020

Goa Cronicle / by GC News Desk

The Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court at Mumbai directed the NIA to provide copies of the unredacted statements of the witnesses to Bhima Koregaon accused, Sudha Bharadwaj.
The Court said that the statements should be provided without truncation except for the identity and addresses of the witnesses which can be redacted.
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Sudha Bharadwaj, Gautam Navlakha and Hany Babu denied books in jail, lawyer tells court

29/12/2020 Rani

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

The lawyer representing activists Sudha Bharadwaj and Gautam Navlakha and Delhi University Professor Hany Babu, who have been jailed in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case, on Tuesday told a court in Mumbai that they were denied books in prison, PTI reported.
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Why is India denying prisoners spectacles and straws?

26/12/2020 Rani

BBC News / by Geeta Pandey

Life in prison is expected to be tough.
But in recent weeks, jail authorities in India have been called out for being especially cruel to prisoners, particularly the government’s critics who are described as “human rights defenders” by international rights groups.
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Varavara Rao to remain in hospital; Bombay HC to hear poet’s bail plea on Jan 7

22/12/2020 Rani

P Varavara Rao to stay at Nanavati Hospital till January 7: Bombay HC

22/12/2020

Hindustan Times / by K A Y Dodhiya

The Bombay high court (HC) has directed the state government and National Investigation Agency (NIA) to let Telugu poet and accused in the Bhima-Koregaon case, P Varavara Rao stay in Nanavati Hospital till the next hearing on January 7, 2021.
The court, while taking note of the 82-year-old’s current health status asked the hospital to submit the latest health report before the next hearing, and also announced that it would hear the pleas on the next date of hearing as the same was pending for some time now.
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Varavara Rao to remain in Nanavati hospital; Bombay HC to hear ailing poet’s bail plea on Jan 7

21/12/2020

The Leaflet / by The Leaflet

The Bombay High Court Monday directed the Nanavati hospital to submit a fresh report to the Court indicating the health status of Dr. PV Varavara Rao, an accused in the Bhima Koregaon case.
A division bench of Justices SS Shinde and MS Karnik also ordered Dr. Rao’s continued treatment at Nanavati hospital till the next date of hearing i.e. January 7, 2021.
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Varavara Rao to remain in Nanavati Hospital till January 7 as Bombay HC adjourns his bail plea

21/12/2020

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

The Bombay High Court on Monday extended Telugu poet and activist Varavara Rao’s stay at Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai till January 7, 2021, reported Bar and Bench. Rao, an accused in the Bhima Koregaon case, has been at the private medical facility since mid-November.
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