Maaysha, Sudha’s daughter:“If fighting for the rights of adivasis, fighting for workers and peasants, fighting against repression and exploitation and giving up one s whole life for them is being a naxalite then I guess naxalites are pretty good.”
“The 6th Annual Harvard Law International Women’s Day Portrait Exhibit showcases the astounding contributions of women around the world to the areas of law and policy. The honorees — each of whom were nominated by HLS students, faculty or staff — are powerful voices in their respective fields, whether they are sitting on a high court bench, standing in front of a classroom, or marching in the streets.”
Or whether they are sitting in jail.
Advocate Sudha Bharadwaj is a 2019 honoree of the Harvard Law International Women’s day exhibition and is sitting in a jail cell in Pune. How did these conflicting positions come about?
Sudha grew up to illustrious parents, and spent the first part of her life as an American citizen. In the next 30 years of her life, she worked tirelessly in Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha (CMM) as a trade unionist and eventually as a lawyer after the CMM, hamstrung in their legal battles by unscrupulous lawyers, found in her the courage and integrity needed to challenge powerful opponents in the courtrooms.
She founded Janhit, giving rigorous legal aid to several industrial workers, villages fighting acquisition and mining, Adivasi communities fighting for forest rights, environmental cases and PIL litigation. Janhit led cases against powerful industrial houses such as Jindal, Vedanta, BALCO, Lafarge Holcim, D.B. Power, Vandana Vidyut, SECL, Bhilai Steel Plant, Monnet Steel, Adani, Hindalco, Grasim, Ultratech and others.
Sudha was instrumental in rebuilding the PUCL group after the arrest and incarceration of its then-President, Dr. Binayak Sen. During this time, she was appointed as the General Secretary of People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and worked on issues of human trafficking and attacks on minorities. She also assisted families of victims of human rights violations looked upon as casualties in the conflict zone of Bastar and supported journalists and activists who dared raise their voices and pen against the State excesses in Bastar. She was elected recently as Vice President of the Indian Association of Peoples’ Lawyers (IAPL) and was active in campaigns against attacks on Dalit and human rights lawyers in Chhattisgarh and facilitated an IAPL fact-finding into it.
Sudha was arrested from her Faridabad home which she was sharing with her daughter, Maaysha. During this time, she was a Visiting Professor at the National Law University Delhi, taking Seminar Courses on tribal rights, land acquisition, and the Fifth and Sixth Schedules. This year she was to have taught “Law and Justice in a Globalising World”. Sadly, and ironically, she can’t teach the class as she is in jail. The loss, the students inform us, is all theirs.
Her daughter Maaysha, has in several letters candidly brought to fore Sudha’s tireless spirit and her commitment to her work, “If fighting for the rights of Adivasis, fighting for workers and peasants, fighting against repression and exploitation and giving up one’s whole life for them is being a Naxalite then I guess Naxalites are pretty good.”
Guneet Ahuja, Advocate, Delhi, in an open letter writes about Sudha, “On my first meeting with Sudha ji, I asked her about the competing narratives regarding the condition of indigenous communities in Bastar. Her reply left a deep impact on me: “For a pedestrian on a narrow lane, the car driver is causing the trouble. For the car driver, the pedestrian is the nuisance. Your perspectives change based on where you are placed.”
Sudha is the pedestrian along with all the people she fights for. She believes the road belongs to us. The State is the car who doesn’t want nuisance pedestrians in the way, believes the road belongs to it, and wants it lined with the businesses of its cronies. To the State, Sudha belongs in jail. To us, she is a defender of human rights.
“If you try to be safe and in the middle, you will never succeed.”
Sudha, The Wire
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
Pictures credit: PUCL
Cover Design / Layout: Vinay Jain
Paperback: 316 pages
“When the victory drum started beating In the heart of the masses You mistook it for a person and trained your guns Revolution echoed from all horizons.”
Being thrown into jail is nothing new to the famous Telugu poet Varavara Rao. He has faced at least 25 cases in the last 45 years. His story can be understood through the history of these arrests and the power of his writings, his poetry, his teaching career and his political understandings and analysis of power and oppression, and the path to liberation.
Varavara Rao, or VV was born into a middle class family in Chinna Pendyala, Warangal District, Andhra Pradesh in 1940. He started publishing his poetry at age 17, in 1957, but got interested in revolutionary theory while working as a lecturer at Mahabubnagar. It was during this time that he founded a literature and poetry group called Sahithee Mithrulu and a non-political journal named Srujana to eventually join the Tirugubadu Kavulu (Rebel Poets), who were sympathetic to the armed struggle going on in Srikakulam.
During this time, VV founded the Virasam or Viplava Rachayitala Sangham (Revolutionary Writers’ Association), an association banned by the Andhra Pradesh government in August 2005. The ban was later struck down by the AP High Court in November 2005.
VV, now 74, has published 15 poetry collections of his own, besides having edited a number of anthologies. His poetry has been translated into almost all Indian languages and have appeared in Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi and Bengali. His thesis on ‘Telangana Liberation Struggle and Telugu Novel – A Study into Interconnection between Society and Literature’ published in 1983 is considered to be one of the finest works of Marxist critical studies done in Telugu. While in prison he translated Kenyan writer, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s prison diary ‘Detained’ and his novel ‘Devil on the Cross’ into Telugu. He also wrote his own prison diary Sahacharulu (1990), which was translated into English as Captive Imagination.
VV was first arrested under the infamous Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) in Andhra Pradesh, in 1973. He was then arrested during Emergency and was re-arrested at the entrance of the jail and kept imprisoned for an additional week when the Emergency was lifted. He survived many attempts on his life post-Emergency.
He was among the 46 accused of conspiring to overthrow the Andhra Pradesh government in the Secunderabad conspiracy case, and was sent to jail once again in 1985. He was also an accused in the Ramnagar conspiracy case where he was accused to have attended a meeting where the plan to kill two Andhra Pradesh Police constables was hatched. He was finally acquitted of the charges after 17 years, in 2003.
He remains a staunch opposer of neo-liberal globalisation and specifically the globalisation policies adopted by Chandrababu Naidu’s government in the ’90s. He went as an emissary for the People’s War Group in the peace negotiations between the Andhra Pradesh government and Naxalites. After multiple rounds of the talks failed, Virasam was banned only to be reinstated later. Following the banning, Rao was arrested once again in 2005 and was released in 2006. He has been arrested four-times since the formation of the new Telangana state in 2014.
VV has faced at least nine cases under the Arms Act of 1959 and the Explosive Substances Act, 1908 over the last four decades. In perhaps the most ridiculous case, he was charged with distributing bombs to ensure the success of a strike against the custodial death of a Radical Students Union activist in 1985. In response, Varavara Rao wrote a memorable poem, titled :
Reflection I did not supply the explosives Nor ideas for that matter It was you who trod with iron heels Upon the anthill And from the trampled earth Sprouted the ideas of vengeance It was you who struck the beehive With your lathi The sound of the scattering bees Exploded in your shaken facade Blotched red with fear When the victory drum started beating In the heart of the masses You mistook it for a person and trained your guns Revolution echoed from all horizons …
Varavara Rao (VV) was born in Warangal in 1940. He finished his MA in Telugu literature from Osmania University. He worked as a lecturer in several colleges and transformation towards revolutionary ideas started in Varavara Rao’s mind during his tenure in Mahabubnagar district. …
In one of her letters to her daughter, Shoma writes, “They can keep me locked inside, but my mind is completely free”
A reputed academician, a Dalit and Women’s Rights activist, a teacher and dissenter, Shoma Sen is all of the above and more. Born and raised in Mumbai, she moved to Nagpur with her partner and daughter with a strong resolve to protect and promote democratic rights of the most marginalised people in the society.
Shoma has been a respected academic for almost three decades. She has been actively involved with the Women’s Department of Wardha Vishwavidyalaya and taught in various colleges across Nagpur. During the time of her arrest she was the Head of the Department of English at Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University. She has written extensively on post-colonialism and women’s studies for several decades. …
Arun Ferreira is a human rights lawyer from Mumbai, India. He is a member of the Committee for Protection of Democratic Rights (CPDR) and the Indian Association of People’s Lawyers (IAPL). He studied at Mumbai’s St. Xavier’s College where he developed a strong social conscience, and organised the institution’s canteen workers to demand better work conditions. After college, he worked with slum dwellers in Mumbai before becoming a community organiser in Vidarbha (rural Maharashtra state). …
Characterised by a loose cotton half sleeve shirt, loose trousers, spectacles, a jhola and a hearty laughter, Vernon Gonsalves comes across as an effervescent wise man. Gonsalves gets along well with everyone from the age of six to sixty. His demeanour reflects an inner happiness. He started a band in college, but gave it up to be a part of people’s movements. His songs still hold the flavour of 70s rock.
Vernon’s pen is as sharp as his vision for an equitable, just society without distinctions of class, caste, race, with principles of gender equality and justice at its core. He is an acute political observer and makes nuanced arguments about complex sociopolitical-economic issues. Vernon has shown a keenness to understand the latest undercurrents in progressive politics.
He was born to a Mangalorean Catholic couple and grew up in a chawl in a modest locality in Byculla in Mumbai. Vernon was always good with academics and won a gold medal in Commerce from Mumbai University. Subsequently, he left his corporate job in Siemens to work with trade unions, workers, slum dwellers and the working class in Mumbai. During this period, he taught in prominent colleges in Mumbai including Ruparel College, HR College of Commerce and Economics, and Akbar Peerbhoy College of Commerce and Economics. Very few know that, in college he wanted to be a musician. Rumours say that he had also started a band but could not find meaning in it.
Around 1983, he moved to Chandrapur near Nagpur to work with unorganised sector workers including the coal-mine workers in the area. In 1984, he married fellow activist Susan Abraham. It was a union of two unique and fiercely independent minds. They worked in Chandrapur for a decade. After their son Sagar was born in 1994, they returned to Mumbai.
On 19 August 2007, the Maharashtra ATS arrested Vernon from his residence in Andheri, Mumbai. His arrest was falsely shown as from the residence of his co-accused S. Shridhar in Govandi. They were charged with being “top-level” Naxalites having explosives in their possession. For some months prior to this, Vernon had been working for the rights of tribal communities in the Maharashtra district of Chandrapur. 20 cases were filed against him. He spent nearly six years in jail while his trial dragged on as an undertrial. He was acquitted in 18 cases, convicted in one against which his appeal is pending in the Nagpur HC while the application for discharge in the last case in Gujarat is pending before the High Court.
During his years as an undertrial in jail, Vernon spent most of his time writing. He is now working on a collection of prison writings. He edited a set of short stories written while imprisoned, one of which, “Jailbird Jabbar” was written in a typical staccato Bambaiya patois style. He also translated stories by Annabhau Sathe from Marathi to English for Aleph Publication’s “A Clutch of Short Stories.” After his release he wrote articles on prevailing law, rights of Dalit and tribal communities, the condition of prisons in India, land grabbing by the nexus of Corporates and the Government, misuse of the criminal justice system by the governments against marginalised communities, and scrapping of UAPA. One of his last published articles titled “Harsher Punishments and Retributive Criminal Justice” is a landmark commentary on the trends of crime control vis-a-vis justice system in the country.
Vernon’s son Sagar sums what everyone close to him feels about him: “Among the many things that I admire greatly about my father is his commitment to his beliefs and ideals.To stand up for what is right and help those whose rights are denied – he has always done that and will continue to do so. This did not deter him the last time and will not do it now as well. He has an unbreakable spirit and will always stay true to what he believes in.”
Vernon Gonsalves is trade unionist, activist, an academic (former professor of business management in a college in Mumbai) and a writer, who writes extensively on Dalit and adivasi rights, the conditions of prisons in India and the routine violation of rights of prisoners. Along with Arun Ferriera, he has authored a number of popular articles on the condition of Indian jails, the abuse of authority by Indian police, and draconian laws such as the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), a piece of ‘anti-terror’ legislation with a wide ambit and vague concepts, which allows its misuse against academics, lawyers and human rights defenders. Equally importantly, their writings expose the hypocrisy of democracy in India. …
Sudhir believes that every revolution has to be “unique”
Sudhir Dhawale’s rm commitment to activism is grounded in his belief in justice. Growing up in Indora , a centre of Ambedkarite politics in Nagpur, Sudhir has since his younger days, been actively involved in the struggles for human rights and dignity. He was part of people’s movement in Nagpur until 1994 then moved to Bombay in search of work opportunities.
From 1995, Sudhir Dhawale dedicated his life towards ghting against the atrocities on Dalits and other marginalized communities.. He was active in the streets and in the courts and has worked on incidents of Dalit atrocities such as the Ghatkopar Ramabai Nagar Dalit Hatyakand, in which 10 Dalits were gunned down by the Mumbai police for agitating against the desecration of a Dr. Ambedkar Statue in 1997. He was also involved in the Khairlanji agitation (against the massacre of a Dalit family in 2006), the Baban Misal murder in Ahmadnagar district in 2008, the ruthless murder of Sahebrao Jondhale in Marathwada in 2008, the Sadashiv Salve Guruji murder in Beed district in 2009, the Manorama Kamble gang rape and murder case in Nagpur in 2009, the Rohidas Tupe murder in Palgaon near Aurangabad in 2009, and many more cases of atrocities against Dalits in Maharashtra.
In 2002, following the Gujarat pogrom massacres, he started a Marathi magazine named Vidrohi. It started as a four-page magazine and soon doubled into eight pages. In a few years, it took the shape of a full- edged magazine which was published twice every month and spoke of pertinent issues concerning the country. It continues to play a pivotal role in bringing in the Dalit voice on human rights abuse of Dalits and other minorities across India, and also publishes fact- nding reports and valuable literature.
After the Khairlanji massacre took place in 2006, many Ambedkarite, left and other progressive organizations felt the need to form and drive a movement based on anti- caste politics with a concrete long-term program of caste annihilation. With this understanding, on December 6, 2007 at the Chaityabhoomi in Mumbai, the Republican Panthers Jaatiya Antachi Chalwal (Republican Panthers Caste Annihilation Movement) was formed. Sudhir, one of the founding members of this organisation, with years of experience and political intellect, evolved a new theoretical framework for the Republican Panthers situating the caste annihilation program at its centre. As a cultural group, Republican Panthers brought their revolutionary music and street theatre to the slums, trade unions, school and protests, to describe the atrocity that is the Hindu caste system.
In 2011, the Maharashtra police arrested Dhawale on charges of sedition and of being a member of and providing support to a terrorist organisation. In May 2014, after Dhawale had spent 40 months in incarceration, RG Asmar—a judge presiding over a special UAPA court in Gondia, a district in Maharashtra— pronounced a judgment acquitting Dhawale and eight others of all charges. The judgment was strongly worded, and the court came down heavily against the state police for its investigation.
It is believed that it was the magazine Vidrohi that brought the ire of the establishment and became the reason for his arrest. Upon his release Sudhir did not only increase the reach of Vidrohi but also led many protests and marches on di erent social issues. He was actively leading several joint fronts formed against caste atrocities, like the Jatiya Atyachar Virodhi Kruti Samiti, the Joint Action Committee for Social justice, the Bhima Koregaon Shaurya Din Prearna Abhiyan and many more.
Incidentally, the lawyer who represented him in the 2011 case was Surendra Gadling, his co-accused in the current Bhima Koregaon case.
Sudhir also incorporated his political experiences and understanding on the paper. It was not only through the Vidrohi magazine, but also many books that he wrote and edited, on diverse socio-political issues. During his time in prison, he has written three books. His writings are sharpened through the assimilation of the pain and struggle of the masses.
Sudhir along with others, had called for the Elgar Parishad on December 31, 2017, bringing together Dalit, Maratha and Muslim leaders on one platform to commemorate the two- hundredth anniversary of the Bhima Koregaon battle and to discuss the State’s crackdown on the marginalised sections of the society.
As an organizer, writer, poet, playwright, freelance journalist and editor of Marathi magazine Vidrohi, Sudhir Dhawale has tried to bring the issues of injustice and atrocities against Dalits in the public domain to make democracy a substantive force and movement in the country.
Sudhir’s words are active, gritty, and capable of moving stones.
Sudhir explains that every revolution has to be “unique”.
To our own unique Revolution…
“What sort of a city is this?
What sort of people are you?
When injustice is done there should be a revolt in the city.
And if there is no revolt,
It were better that the city should perish in fire before the night falls…”
Lines from The good Person of Szechwan
a play written by Brecht. The lines
in Marathi were quated in the fir for
`provoking´ the crowd present in Elgar Parishad.
After spending close to four years (2011-2014) in jail in India (where he was denied every kind of human right) on charges of being a ‘Naxalite’, Sudhir Dhawale was acquitted of all charges. Reflecting on his traumatic experience, Sudhir soberly identifies his private struggle as being part of a much larger public and collective struggle for democratic values. Sudhir: …
Surendra Gadling is a human rights lawyer and General Secretary of the Indian Association of Peoples’ Lawyers (IAPL). Among those he has represented are numerous human rights defenders arrested on fabricated charges of being anti-national. …
“Mahesh is highly loved and respected in all these villages and one with the people I visited. They treated him as if he were a member of their own house!”
Hailing from Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district, Mahesh Raut is a young prominent activist working for the rights of Adivasi communities in his district. Born in Lakhapur, a small village in Maharashtra, Mahesh completed his schooling from Gadchiroli and moved to Nagpur for graduation. He later went on to pursue higher education from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. On completing his education he worked as Prime Minister Rural Development Fellow (PMRDF) in Gadchiroli. He has tirelessly advocated for laws like The Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act and Forest Rights Act which protect the democratic rights of indigenous communities against unlawful land grabbing by large corporations. Mahesh has consistently worked to protect and promote the rights of the marginalised within a Constitutional framework. On completion of his fellowship, Mahesh decided to continue working with the Adivasi communities in the State.
Mahesh organised and participated in mass movements to abet the cause of social welfare. He was the co-convenor of Visthapan Vidrohi Jan Vikas Andolan (VVJVA) which ghts against the forced displacement of Adivasis and other marginalised people. As a member of VVJVA, Mahesh organised the Tendu leaves workers from Adivasi communities of the region to sell them directly in the market without the involvement of middlemen.
Along with campaigning for the Adivasis of the region, he also joined the Bharat Jan Andolan (BJA), an organisation started by late BD Sharma. Through his work with BJA, Mahesh has been instrumental in organising people for participative decision making in regions a ected by mining projects, including the Surajgarh mining project.
His work against the atrocities of Police and several State authorities led to several cases being led against him. According to a letter drafted by his PMRDF fellows, the State’s crackdown on Mahesh started from 2013 citing his consistent political engagement as one of the reasons for his harassment. His friend and fellow activist Sohini Shoaib, working in Bihar writes about her visit to Gadchiroli, “Mahesh was highly loved and respected in all these villages and one with the people I visited. They treated him as if he were a member of their own house! Some of them even tried to get me to convince him to get married: they thought he worked too hard and did not take care of his health enough. They hoped that nding a partner would help him feel less lonely, help him balance other aspects of life!”
In 2018, Mahesh was picked up by the Pune Police for his alleged involvement in organising the Elgar Parishad and his alleged Maoist links. He was booked under sections of the UAPA and arrested from his residence in Nagpur. Neither was he involved in organising the Elgar Parishad nor did he attend the 31st December events. His arrest is a clear crackdown of the State on Human Rights defenders who are struggling against the State and Corporation nexus. His contributions to promote and uphold Constitutional rights of the marginalised identities have led him to persecution and consequent imprisonment. His incarceration is a standing testament of the State’s repression of Rights’ activists who protect the values of the Constitution which the same State is trampling upon.
Lalsu Nogoti, an elected district council member from Bhamragad in Maharashtra is speaking about the work of Mahesh Raut: “He first came to us as a part of the PMRD [Prime Minister’s Rural Development] fellowship in 2013. He would visit every village with other government officials and meticulously note down grievances and parallelly also research on several village and state-level policies that could come to our rescue. His work in the formative years helped us build our struggles in the coming days.” …
Rona Wilson is the 47-year old Public Relations Secretary of the Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners (CRPP). He was arrested under the UAPA on June 6, 2018, in Delhi, at the same time as Shoma Sen, Surendra Gadling, and Mahesh Raut in Nagpur and Sudhir Dhawale in Mumbai, and accused of channeling Maoist funds for the Elgar Parishad and fomenting violence in Bhima Koregaon.
Gautam Navlakha is a Delhi-based veteran journalist, author, civil liberties, human rights and peace activist best known for his fierce and sustained critique of the Indian state’s militarism against its own citizenry in three broad zones – the northeastern states, Kashmir valley, and the central Indian forested zone in Chhattisgarh. He has been actively involved with the People’s Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR) – one of India’s leading civil liberties and democratic rights defence organizations- working to protect, extend and help implement fundamental rights as guaranteed in the Indian constitution. Read more
To mark Stan Swamy’s death anniversary, Surendra Gadling and Dinkar Gota held a one-day hunger strike
Surendra Gadling and Dinkar Gota, two political prisoners incarcerated at Taloja Central Prison in Navi Mumbai, are observing a one-day hunger strike on July 5, 2026, the fifth death anniversary of the Jesuit priest and human rights activist Father Stan Swamy. The editorial introduction below is followed by the full text of the press release by Gadling and Gota on the hunger strike.
EDITORIAL INTRODUCTION
Surendra Gadling is a Nagpur-based human rights lawyer and Dalit rights activist who has spent decades defending Adivasis, Dalits, workers, and political prisoners, often on a pro bono basis. He is widely known for challenging allegations of fake encounters, custodial abuse, and violations of civil liberties. He has been imprisoned since June, 2018 in the Bhima Koregaon-Elgar Parishad case, a prosecution that has become one of India’s most prominent civil liberties cases. Sixteen lawyers, academics, writers, artists, trade unionists, and human rights defenders were arrested in the case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Most have since been granted bail after years of incarceration, while Father Stan Swamy died in judicial custody in 2021. Gadling remains incarcerated in Taloja Central Prison awaiting trial.
Dinkar Gota is an Adivasi activist from Gadchiroli, Maharashtra, who was arrested in March, 2020 under the UAPA in connection with the Gadchiroli blast case of 2019. He has consistently maintained his innocence and is regarded by supporters as one of several Adivasi activists who have been jailed baselessly under anti-terror laws for fighting for the rights of their peoples. He is currently lodged in Taloja Central Prison.
Father Stan Swamy was a Jesuit priest and human rights activist who had dedicated his life to defending the rights of Adivasis, other marginalised communities, and political prisoners. He was arrested in October, 2020 in the Bhima Koregaon-Elgar Parishad case, and died at the age of 84 on July 5, 2021 while in judicial custody.
FULL TEXT OF THE PRESS RELEASE
– Press Release for circulation –
Date: 5 July 2026
Two political prisoners, Advocate Surendra Gadling, an accused in the Bhima Koregaon–Elgar Parishad case, and Dinkar Gota, an accused in the alleged Gadchiroli attack case, lodged in Taloja Central Prison, are observing a one-day hunger strike on 5 July 2026, on the occasion of the fifth death anniversary of Father Stan Swamy.
Father Stan Swamy was a victim of institutional murder because he refused to surrender before those in power and chose to stand firmly for the rights of Adivasis, Dalits, and the marginalized and oppressed masses, until his last breath. He fearlessly raised his voice against injustice, repression, and attacks on democratic rights. This one-day hunger strike is to protest against the institutional repression that led to his death.
Father Stan Swamy’s life and struggle continues to inspire every person fighting for justice, human dignity, and democratic values. This hunger strike is a renewed pledge to ensure that his sacrifice will not go in vain, and the hunger strikers humbly appeal to democrats, human rights defenders, and all justice-seeking citizens to express solidarity in this regard.
“Killed by a Bullet Named NIA”: CASR Meeting Slams Judicial System on Fr. Stan Swamy Anniversary
06/07/2026
The Mooknayak English / by Campaign Against State Repression (CASR)
Human Rights Defenders Remember Fr. Stan Swamy’s Custodial Death
On the fifth martyrdom anniversary of Jesuit priest and human rights defender Fr. Stan Swamy, the Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) organised a public meeting in New Delhi. The event, themed “NIA and UAPA: Constitutional Concerns and the Suppression of Dissent”, brought together lawyers, academics, journalists, human rights defenders, and activists to reflect on his legacy and critique the use of draconian laws against democratic voices. Read more
5 Years Since Stan Swamy’s Custodial Death : No Lessons Learnt, Concerns Over UAPA Abuse Persist
05/07/2026
Live Law / by Manu Sebastian
The Courts, unfortunately, look away from the abject weaponisation of the law, and the evocations of personal liberty remain largely confined to judicial seminars.
It has been five years since the death of Father Stan Swamy, while he was under custody in the Bhima Koregaon case. We still don’t know what was the crime committed by the man, except for the hyperbolic allegations of the National Investigation Agency, over which the Courts themselves have later raised many doubts and questions while granting bail to several co-accused in the case. Read more
Picture credits: Live Law
Supreme Court’s Judgment Expanding UAPA To Make Speech ‘Terrorist Act’ Puts Political Dissent At Risk: Rebecca John
05/07/2026
Live Law / by Gursimran Kaur Bakshi
Senior Advocate Rebecca John today raised concern over the Supreme Court’s expansion of the definition of ‘terrorist act’ under Section 15 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) to include speech-related offences in the Gulfisha Fatima-Delhi riots larger conspiracy case.
… John was speaking at a public meeting organised to mark the 5th death anniversary of Father Stan Swamy, who died while awaiting bail in the Bhima Koregaon case pending trial for more than six years. Read more
5 Years After Stan Swamy Died in Custody, the Struggles He Lived For Continue
05/07/2026
The Quint / by Grace Nau Backia & Edgar Kaiser
Remembering Fr Stan Swamy means remembering the Adivasi rights movement he spent his life building.
“If this makes me a ‘desh drohi,’ then so be it,” wrote Fr Stan Swamy in his email to his friends on 28 July 2019, when he came to know that he had been accused of the crime of championing the rights of Adivasis in Jharkhand. His legacy transcends time, although his voice, which rang louder against the power, has been brought to a halt.
Five years since his death, we look back at Stan’s life, the legacy he left behind, and where things stand today, with the struggles he devoted his life to. Read more
I raise my voice for Adivasis, am I a Traitor?
04/07/2026
SabrangIndia / by Stan Swamy
This piece authored by Fr Stan Swamy was originally published on Aug 01, 2018. It was then re-published on July 5, 2021 the day of his martyrdom and is now being published on July 4-5, 2026 on the fifth anniversary of his death, in lasting tribute to his work and memory.
Stan Swamy, 1 August 2018: During the past two decades, I have identified myself with the Adivasi people and their struggle for a life of dignity and self-respect. As a writer, I have tried to analyse the different issues they are facing. In this process, I have clearly expressed dissent with several policies, laws enacted by the govt in the light of the Indian Constitution. I have questioned the validity, legality, justness of several steps taken by the govt and the ruling class. Read full statement
St Peter’s Church: standing in solidarity in 2021. Pic credits: Pradip Das / The Indian Express
To a living Saint, now dead five years: Meeting to commemorate July 5
06/07/2026
Sabrangindia / by Sabrangindia
July 5, 2026 marks the fifth anniversary of Father Stan Swamy, who’s death in judicial custody in Maharashtra has been condemned for the institutional murder that it was; the 84 year old activist priest, who died of maltreatment by the prison authorities in Mumbai after suffering from the dreaded Covid-19 pandemic was an activist priest remembered for his path-breaking work among Adivasis in Jharkand
A meeting to commemorate the fifth death anniversary of Father Stan Swamy was held yesterday, Sunday, July 5. Organised by the Bombay Catholic Sabha at the Loyola Hall, it was well attended by close to two hundred Mumbaikars. Invited speakers spoke on the theme “Fr. Stan and his belief in the Constitution” Read more
Five years on, Father Stan Swamy’s legacy remains
06/07/2026
The Times of India / by TOI
Five years after Father Stan Swamy died at a Mumbai hospital while in judicial custody, a memorial for him at a church in Bandra on Sunday saw civil rights activists trace his activism and recall his days in custody.
… Speaking at the meeting, advocate Mihir Desai said that fake police encounters are not only when police fire on an unarmed person, but similar trauma may occur when an old person with fragile health, unlikely to survive prolonged incarceration, gets arrested on allegedly false charges. Read more
Mumbai, 5 July 2026. Picture credits: Free Press Journal
Fr Stan Swamy Remembered On Fifth Death Anniversary, Citizens Renew Pledge To Defend Constitution
05/07/2026
Free Press Journal / by Manoj Ramakrishnan
More than 150 citizens, activists and civil society members gathered in Mumbai to mark the fifth death anniversary of Jesuit priest and tribal rights activist Fr Stan Swamy. Speakers paid tribute to his work for Adivasi rights, social justice and constitutional values, while renewing calls to uphold the Constitution and continue campaigns for civil liberties and justice.
… The public meeting, held under the theme “Fr Stan and his Belief in the Constitution”, was organised jointly by the Bombay Catholic Sabha (BCS), Centre for Study of Society & Secularism (CSSS), Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), Christian Development Association (CDA), Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), Mumbai for Peace and the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL). Read more
Fr Stan Swamy’s Fifth Death Anniversary To Be Marked In Mumbai With Constitution-Themed Memorial Event
02/07/2026
Free Press Journal / by FPJ News Service
Mumbai’s Bombay Catholic Sabha, along with several civil rights organisations, will hold a programme on July 5 to mark the fifth death anniversary of Jesuit priest and tribal rights activist Fr Stan Swamy. Titled ‘Fr Stan and his Belief in the Constitution’, the event in Bandra will feature advocates, activists and rights groups discussing his legacy and commitment to constitutional values.
The Bombay Catholic Sabha (BCS), along with several civil rights and citizens’ organisations, will organise a programme on Sunday, 5 July, to commemorate the fifth death anniversary of Jesuit priest and tribal rights activist Fr Stan Swamy. Read more
If Stan Swamy, the Martyr, were alive today ….
02/07/2026
Sabrangindia / by Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ
On the fifth anniversary of the tragic death of the People’s Priest, an associate writes that, if alive Fr Stan Swamy would have been at the forefront of all the ongoing struggles of the Adivasis
Exactly five years ago, on 5 July 2021, Jesuit Father Stan Swamy was murdered. He was killed because he refused to kow-tow to a brutal, fascist regime. He was killed because he took a stand for justice and truth! He was killed because he accompanied the Adivasis and the other subalterns for a more dignified, equitable, and humane life! He was killed because he refused to compromise with corrupt, communal, anti-people, anti –constitutional forces! He was killed because he believed in humanity and in the power of ordinary people! What Stan’s murderers never bargained for is that Stan the martyr will never die! Stan was a martyr for justice – he lives in the hearts, souls, and minds of millions today and forever!
Stan Swamy, the Martyr, is no longer around today- but if he were physically present in this world today, what exactly would he be doing?
If Stan Swamy, the Martyr, were alive today, he would be in the midst of the Adivasis. His life would be very simple and frugal. He would eat their food, sing their songs, and dance with them. He would identify with them totally. Yes, of course, he would be angry if others tried to destroy their identity, their culture and customs, their traditions, and their value systems. He would master their language and walk the talk with them. Read more
Indian Jesuit priest Fr Stan Swamy to be remembered at anniversary Mass in London
19/06/2026
By Jesuit Mission UK
Fr Stan Swamy SJ – the late priest who died in an Indian jail in 2021 – will be honoured at a memorial Mass at a London Jesuit parish.
The vigil service at St Anselm’s Church in Southall at 6.30pm on Saturday 4th July will be dedicated to the memory of Fr Stan, whose death anniversary falls the next day. Read more
▪ A Documentary Film on Stan Swamy – A Caged Bird Can Still Sing
hindi / en | 21:40min | 2025 By Karwan e Mohabbat
This short documentary revisits the life and work of Father Stan Swamy, the Jesuit priest and tribal rights activist who spent decades standing with Adivasi communities in Jharkhand. Arrested under draconian anti-terror laws and denied timely medical care, Stan died in custody on 5 July 2021. Through conversations with his friends and colleagues, and using Stan’s own archival footage and recordings, we reflect on his unwavering commitment to justice and begin to understand why he was targeted by the state. This is both a tribute and a reminder of the forces that criminalise dissent and silence those who speak for the most marginalised.
▪ I am not a Silent Spectator – Why Truth has become so bitter, Dissent so intolarable, Justice so out of reach – An Autobiographical Fragment, Memory and Reflection
Edition: Aug 2021
Publisher: Indian Social Institute, Bangalore
Language: English
Paperback: 149 pages
‘Why truth has become so bitter, dissent so intolerable, justice so out of reach?’ because truth has become very bitter to those in power and position, dissent, so unpalatable to the ruling elite, justice, so out of reach to the powerless, marginalised, deprived people. Yet, truth must be spoken, right to dissent must be upheld, and justice must reach the doorsteps of the poor. I am not a silent spectator. This booklet is not my autobiography. It is rather a collation of some glimpses/episodes from my life that somehow made a difference for me, and possibly for my confrères, colleagues and the people with whom I have shared my life.
Poet-activist Varavara Rao has opposed the NIA’s plea seeking cancellation of his bail in the Elgar Parishad case, denying he knowingly met co-accused at a Mumbai Press Club event. Rao said there is no evidence of communication with co-accused or Maoist propaganda, asserting the meeting focused on prisoners’ issues and legal matters. The NIA court will hear arguments on July 10. Read more
3 accused oppose NIA’s plea to cancel their bail for attending press club event
03/07/2026
Hindustan Times / by Vikrant Jha
Poet-activist Varavara Rao, activist Vernon Gonsalves and activist-lawyer Arun Ferreira filed separate replies before Special Judge Chakor S Baviskar, opposing the NIA’s applications seeking cancellation of their bail. The court took the replies on record and adjourned the matter to July 10 for hearing
Three accused in the Bhima Koregaon-Elgar Parishad case on Thursday opposed the National Investigation Agency (NIA)’s plea seeking cancellation of their bail. They told a special court that they were unaware they had been invited together to a January event at the Mumbai Press Club, that they had merely attended it as invitees, and that bail could not be cancelled lightly in the absence of any deliberate or substantial breach of its conditions. Read more
NIA records statement of 6 over Mumbai Press Club meet cited in Elgaar bail plea
02/07/2026
The Indian Express / by Express News Service
The agency has argued that the accused violated bail conditions prohibiting them from establishing communication with co-accused or persons allegedly involved in similar activities by attending the gathering together.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has recorded the statements of six persons, including three journalists expelled from the Mumbai Press Club and three office-bearers of the club, as part of its probe into the January 19 gathering at the club that has become central to its bid to cancel the bail of several accused in the Elgaar Parishad case. Read more
The submissions recommend that prison records must identify every person with disability individually to make reasonable adjustments for them, while respecting their confidentiality.
A Kerala-based activist, whose petition highlighting the traumatic prison days of the late Professor G.N. Saibaba and Stan Swamy led the Supreme Court to form a high-powered committee to free Indian jails from the colonial yoke, suggested bringing in a mechanism to allow disabled prisoners/detainees to self-identify and declare their disabilities. Read more
There are some faces that haunt me. They make me feel sad, angry, and, at times, I want to yell out. They confuse me. They fill me with despair. They prompt me to rebel. They make me feel so helpless. They make me pray. They cause me to reflect and speak up.
Two of them I want to present to you: Stan Swamy and Sanjeev Bhatt. Read more
▪ I am not a Silent Spectator – Why Truth has become so bitter, Dissent so intolarable, Justice so out of reach – An Autobiographical Fragment, Memory and Reflection
Edition: Aug 2021
Publisher: Indian Social Institute, Bangalore
Language: English
Paperback: 149 pages
‘Why truth has become so bitter, dissent so intolerable, justice so out of reach?’ because truth has become very bitter to those in power and position, dissent, so unpalatable to the ruling elite, justice, so out of reach to the powerless, marginalised, deprived people. Yet, truth must be spoken, right to dissent must be upheld, and justice must reach the doorsteps of the poor. I am not a silent spectator. This booklet is not my autobiography. It is rather a collation of some glimpses/episodes from my life that somehow made a difference for me, and possibly for my confrères, colleagues and the people with whom I have shared my life.
Edition: Aug 2021 Publisher: Peoples Union for Democratic Rights, Delhi Language: English
Paperback: 45 pages
Stan Swamy, as this report documents, was framed, fettered, and finally forced towards a fatal illness under due process of law. The report argues that the naturalness of Stan’s death—a cardiac arrest driven by Covid complications—doesn’t exonerate the unnaturalness of the persecution that he suffered under the UAPA. Underlying Stan’s experiences of persecution lie the life-stories of many others, including the 15 accused in the Bhima Koregaon case. Beyond chronicling Stan’s persecution under law, the report documents why Comrade Stan was a dissenter and a true patriot and why the state feared and criminalized his dissent under the UAPA.
Credits: Drawing by Arun Ferreira / The Polis Project
The ‘Natural Death’ Problem in Indian Jails
26/06/2026
The Wire / by Sukanya Shantha
When prisoners die after allegedly being denied timely medical care, are those deaths truly natural? And is it fair that the very people who are accused of not providing timely medical care get to decide this?
… According to the latest NCRB data (for the year 2024), 1,960 persons died in Indian jails. Of these, 1,737 deaths were attributed to “natural causes”. When reading these figures, one must keep in mind cases like those of Basha and Khadar. Unless a judicial magistrate diligently inquires into their deaths, they too will be categorised as ‘natural deaths’ in upcoming NCRB reports. Read more
Our Criminal Justice System Overlooks Victims of Police Torture
26/06/2026
The Wire / by Edgar Kaiser and Grace Anu
The Global Torture Index 2025 classifies India as a country with “high risk” of torture and ill treatment, and the signed UN Convention Against Torture is yet to be ratified.
Today, June 26 is observed as International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.
Particularly for human rights defenders, targeted reprisal killed the lives of Fr. Stan Swamy in Bhima Koregaon (BK-16), due to refusal of medical treatment, and Prof. Saibaba, a 90% disabled activist had to face the same fate as his health started deteriorating when he was confined to an ‘anda cell’. These figures are just the tip of the iceberg of a staggering number of survivors and victim families who are systemically denied medical, psychological and social assistance. Read more
In a case arising from a death in a State-run mental health facility, a bench led by Justice Manish Pitale has laid down that compensation for custodial deaths must follow a logical, statutory formula and that the State’s existing policy of paying a fixed sum is woefully inadequate.
…
In our prisons, we lose around two thousand lives annually. Deaths to due to various ailments and importantly due to lack of medical staff, including assault by co-prisoners and even due to torture of police is not new. Once a person is sent in judicial custody, it becomes the duty of the State to ensure that the person is provided with all such facilities as would require him to retain the same health he was in prior to his admission.
In the case of Varavara Rao, the Court had held that prison is not conducive to deteriorating health of the octogenarian and granted him bail. However, Father Stan Swamy in the same case, who was suffering from Parkinson’s died in custody, allegedly due to lethargic medical attention. Read more
Bombay High Court seeks NIA’s reply to Varavara Rao’s plea to permanently reside in Hyderabad
13/06/2026
The Indian Express / by Express News Service
A special NIA court rejected Varavara Rao’s plea in March this year.
The Bombay High Court Friday sought the National Investigation Agency (NIA)’s reply to an appeal by poet-activist Varavara Rao, who is an accused in the Elgaar Parishad case, seeking permission to permanently live in his hometown Hyderabad, citing financial hardship and age-related constraints. Read more
Bombay High Court Seeks NIA Response On Varavara Rao’s Plea To Shift To Hyderabad
12/06/2026
Live Law / by Narsi Benwal
The Bombay High Court on Friday (June 12) issued notice on petition by 85-year-old Telugu Poet P Varavara Rao, accused under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act in the Bhima Koregaon case, seeking permission to move to Hyderabad stating that living in Mumbai is not affordable for him. Rao, has challenged a March 16 order passed by a special NIA Court, which dismissed his application to reside in Hyderabad. Read more
Bombay HC seeks NIA response to Varavara Rao’s plea for leave to shift to Hyderabad
12/06/2026
Bar & Bench / by Bar & Bench
A bail condition imposed on Rao is that he cannot leave the jurisdiction of an NIA court in Mumbai without permission. Rao has now sought permission to shift to Hyderabad.
Activist-poet P Varavara Rao, an accused in the Bhima Koregaon case, has moved the Bombay High Court seeking permission to permanently shift his residence from Mumbai to Hyderabad [P Varavara Rao v. National Investigation Agency & Ors.].
A Division Bench of Justices AS Gadkari and Kamal Khata has sought the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) response to the plea and posted the matter for hearing after two weeks. Read more
HC seeks NIA response on Varavara Rao’s plea to move to Hyderabad
12/06/2026
Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff
The activist’s bail conditions mandate that he obtain permission from the National Investigation Agency court to travel outside Mumbai.
The Bombay High Court on Friday sought the National Investigation Agency’s response to a petition by activist-poet Varavara Rao, who is out on bail in the Bhima Koregaon case, seeking permission to permanently relocate from Mumbai to Hyderabad, Live Law reported. Read more
India’s civic space is still rated as ‘repressed’ by the CIVICUS Monitor. The authorities persist in targeting activists, journalists, students and civil society through the misuse of draconian laws, arbitrary detention, censorship and the criminalisation of dissent. Over the past year, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), counterterrorism provisions and public order regulations have been consistently deployed to silence government critics, restrict civil society, and deter peaceful protests.
… The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has renewed its pursuit of human rights defenders in the long-running Bhima Koregaon case, several of whom have already spent years in pre-trial detention before being released on bail. On 29th April 2026, NIA officials visited the Mumbai Press Club, seeking documents and questioning office-bearers about a gathering held on its premises on 19th January 2026 that was attended by accused in the case. Read more
NIA Moves to Cancel Bails of Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira in Elgar Parishad Case
11/06/2026
The Wire / by Sukanya Shantha
It had, last month, moved a similar application seeking the cancellation of Varavara Rao and Sudha Bharadwaj’s bails.
After their prolonged incarceration and subsequent release on bail, the National Investigating Agency is eager to send the rights defenders held in the Elgar Parishad case back to jail.
The agency (NIA) had, last month, moved an application seeking cancellation of the bail of Telugu poet-activist Varavara Rao and lawyer-academic Sudha Bharadwaj. On June 10, Wednesday, the agency moved a fresh application seeking cancellation of the bails of two more activists, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira. Read more
NIA seeks bail cancellation of Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Ferreira over violation of bail conditions
11/06/2026
Bar & Bench / by Bar & Bench
The agency alleged before the special court in Mumbai that Ferreira and Gonsalves attended a January 19 gathering at the Mumbai Press Club where other accused persons were present.
A Mumbai special court on Wednesday directed accused Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira to respond to the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) pleas seeking cancellation of their bail in the Bhima Koregaon case over alleged violations of bail conditions. Read more
NIA moves to cancel Gonsalves, Ferreira bail in Elgar Parishad case
11/06/2026
Hindustan Times / by Vikrant Jha
Special Judge Chakor S Baviskar directed Gonsalves (68) and Ferreira (53) to file their replies to the applications, which have been posted for further consideration on June 19.
Weeks after seeking cancellation of the bail granted to Varavara Rao and Sudha Bharadwaj, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday moved a special court seeking revocation of the bail granted to activists Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira in the Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon case, alleging that they violated the conditions of their release by attending a gathering at the Mumbai Press Club earlier this year. Read more
NIA seeks bail cancellation of 2 more Elgar case accused | Mumbai News
10/06/2026
The Times of India / by Rebecca Samervel
Nearly a month after seeking cancellation of the bail granted to two 2018 Elgar Parishad case accused—activist and lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj and poet Varavara Rao—NIA on Wednesday moved moved a similar plea in a special court against two co-accused, activists Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira, citing wilful violation of the bail conditions. Read more
