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Category: Persecution

Law and the Subversion of Justice in India

Law and the Subversion of Justice in India

Institute of Postcolonial Studies / by Yug Mohit Chaudhry

While purporting to investigate the Hindutva-fuelled riots of 1st January 2018 following the Elgaar Parishad commemoration of the Battle of Bhima Koregaon, an iconic event in Dalit historiography, the state has imprisoned some highly respected intellectuals, scholars and social activists…
Many of these sixteen are role models and heroes of our times: they have sacrificed themselves for the weak and the poor, deepened democracy, and given dignity and meaning to those surviving on the margins of existence ignored by successive governments. If at all they erred, it was in excess of love for those they served.
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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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Father Stan Swamy has to go to court for a straw – NIA Asks 20 Days To Respond

Father Stan Swamy has to go to court for a straw – NIA Asks 20 Days To Respond

Father Stan Swamy has to go to court for a straw

08/11/2020

The Telegraph / by Pheroze L. Vincent, Sanjay K. Jha

The court, whose permission is required for materials to be sent in from outside jail premises, set the next hearing for November 26.
When Father Stan Swamy, the 83-year-old tribal rights activist, was arrested in haste in Ranchi in the Bhima Koregaon case and taken to Mumbai last month, he had carried a bag with him.
In the bag was a sipper with a straw, which he needs to consume liquids. Father Stan suffers from several age-related ailments apart from Parkinson’s, which has left him unable to hold any open liquid container like a cup or a mug without spilling the contents.
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Arrested Activist, 83, Requests Straw Citing Parkinson’s. NIA Wants Time

07/11/2020

NDTV / by Arvind Gunasekar

Father Stan Swamy, the 83-year-old tribal rights activist arrested last month over his alleged involvement in the Bhima-Koregaon case, has moved the special court in Mumbai for permission to use a straw and sipper cup while drinking.
The NIA (National Investigation Agency), which arrested Mr Swamy – who has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease – from his residence in Ranchi on October 8, has sought 20 days time to respond.
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Stan Swamy files plea to allow use of straw, sipper in Taloja jail

06/11/2020

The Hindu / by Sonam Saigal

83-year-old accused in Bhima-Koregaon case, suffers from Parkinson’s.
Father Stan Swamy, 83, on Friday filed an application before the special court seeking that he be allowed the use of a straw and sipper in Taloja Central Jail where he has been lodged as he cannot hold a glass due to Parkinson’s disease.
The prosecution has sought time 20 days to file a reply to this application and the matter will be heard on November 26.
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Navlakha, Parvez part of a larger conspiracy to defame India: NIA

Navlakha, Parvez part of a larger conspiracy to defame India: NIA

The New Indian Express / by Express News Service

The NIA, in its Elgar Parishad charge sheet, alleged that Navlakha was working as a link between Pakistan’s ISI and the CPI-Maoist.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) believes are links between Kashmiri activist Khurram Parvez and activist Gautam Navlakha, who was chargesheeted in the Elgar Parishad Bhima Koregaon case, sources said on Wednesday.
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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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SC Asks Bombay HC To Consider Varavara Rao’s Bail Application At The Earliest

SC Asks Bombay HC To Consider Varavara Rao’s Bail Application At The Earliest

Supreme Court Asks Bombay High Court To Consider Varavara Rao’s Bail Application At The Earliest

29/10/2020

Live Law / by Radhika Roy

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Bombay High Court to list the bail application of 81-year-old poet P. Varavara Rao, who is an undetrail in the Bhima Koregaon case, before the appropriate Bench and hear it at the earliest.
A Bench comprising of Justices UU Lalit, Vineet Saran and S. Ravindra Bhat expressed concern about the bail application filed on medical grounds not having been listed before the Bombay High Court since 17 September and directed the Chief Justice of Bombay High Court to list the same at the earliest.
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SC asks Bombay HC to expedite hearing Varavara Rao’s bail application

29/10/2020

The Leaflet / by The Leaflet

The Supreme Court Thursday asked the Bombay High Court to expedite the hearing of the bail application filed by noted poet Dr. Varavara Rao on medical grounds.
It also expressed concern at the delay in hearing Rao’s bail application which was last heard by the High Court on September 17 when one of the judges in a two-judge bench recused himself from the case. The Court also directed the High Court to examine whether Dr. Rao would be required to be treated in a speciality hospital.
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SC Declines to Order Transfer of Varavara Rao to Hospital

29/10/2020

The Quint / by Vakasha Sachdev

The bench headed by Justice UU Lalit requested the Bombay HC to take up the matter urgently.
The Supreme Court on Thursday, 29 October, declined to grant bail on medical/humanitarian grounds to 80-year-old Varavara Rao, one of the accused in the Bhima Koregaon case.
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SC asks Varavara Rao family to approach Bombay HC again

29/10/2020

The Hindu / by Krishnadas Rajagopal

Apex court requests HC Chief Justice to list case for hearing at the earliest.
The Supreme Court on Thursday did not order the immediate release from jail of ailing poet-activist Varavara Rao even as it voiced concern over a month-long delay witnessed in the Bombay High Court to hear urgent pleas for his liberty and medical treatment.
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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: Dr Anand Teltumbde directed colleagues to run campaign against his implication

NIA: Dr Anand Teltumbde directed colleagues to run campaign against his implication

Hindustan Times / by Charul Shah

Prior to the Supreme Court (SC) directing academician and activist Dr Anand Teltumbde to approach the Bombay high court (HC) for anticipatory bail in January 2018, he allegedly had asked his colleagues to run a campaign against his implication in the case. The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is investigating Teltumbde for his role in the Bhima Koregaon case mentioned Teltumbde’s plans in the charge sheet filed against him earlier this week.
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Arrested accused wanted to mobilise youth through photo exhibitions, says NIA

Arrested accused wanted to mobilise youth through photo exhibitions, says NIA

Book / Drawing by Arun Ferreira

Hindustan Times / by Charul Shah

Ahead of the Bhima Koregaon incident in January 2018, one of the accused – Arun Ferreira – had suggested holding photo exhibitions for students on the subjects of mob lynching and Hindu militant uprising. According to a charge sheet filed earlier this month by the National Investigative Agency (NIA), this was to mobilise the youth.
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