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Decimation drive – The recent arrest of three Dalit rights activists

Decimation drive – The recent arrest of three Dalit rights activists

Frontline / by Anupama Katakam

The recent arrest of three Dalit rights activists in connection with the Elgar Parishad is seen as an attempt to stifle dissent.
MEMBERS of the Kabir Kala Manch (KKM), a Pune-based cultural activist group, knew it was only a matter of time before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) reached their doorstep. The NIA arrested 12 people in connection with the Elgar Parishad, and as one of the primary organisers of the meeting that hosted 250 Dalit organisations, the KKM was definitely on the radar.
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Dubbed urban Naxal, Arun Ferreira a ‘victim’ of BJP govt’s sectarian, vendetta politics

Dubbed urban Naxal, Arun Ferreira a ‘victim’ of BJP govt’s sectarian, vendetta politics

Drawing by Arun Ferreira

Counterview / by Atul, Sandeep Pandey

Arun Ferreira is a civil rights activist and human rights lawyer. He has been behind bars since June 6, 2018, when he was arrested in connection to the Bhima Koregaon event held earlier that year. Like many other activists, he was slapped with Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, sedition and other anti-terror related offenses allegedly for inciting the ensuing violence that police claimed was calculated to disturb public peace.
Ferreira has spent years in jail on similar charges previously as well.
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Case against activist Sudha Bharadwaj – Why SC turned down her bail plea

Case against activist Sudha Bharadwaj – Why SC turned down her bail plea

The Indian Express/ by Sadaf Modak

On Thursday, the Supreme Court turned down activist Sudha Bharadwaj’s application for interim bail. The court said that since the plea was on medical grounds, it will not be able to entertain it as the medical report did not back her claims. It, however, said Bharadwaj has a “good case on merits”.
What is the case in which Sudha Bharadwaj and 14 others are arrested?
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+++ Correction: Letters implicating Sudha Bharadwaj were found on the computer of Rona Wilson. The Caravan conducted a cyber-forensic examination of the contents of Wilson’s hard disk, a copy of the disk that was presented in court by the Pune Police and supplied to all the accused. Our investigation revealed that the disk contained malware that can be used to remotely access the computer and plant files. We also found several other discrepancies, pointing towards manipulation of evidence in the case. +++

Case Against Hindutva Leaders Ignored, No Justice in Sight for Bhima Koregaon Violence Victims

Case Against Hindutva Leaders Ignored, No Justice in Sight for Bhima Koregaon Violence Victims

The Wire / by Sukanya Shantha

Even after the fall of the BJP government, the Sena-NCP-Congress coalition has also not shown any inclination to prosecute Milind Ekbote and Sambhaji Bhide.
Mumbai: On January 2, 2018, a day after a violent mob attack on Dalit community members visiting Bhima Koregaon, anti-caste activist Anita Sawale had filed a case accusing Samasta Hindu Aghadi president and Hindutva leader Milind Ekbote and Shiv Prathistan Hindustan leader Sambhaji Bhide as the “masterminds” of the attack.
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Friends & family of Sudha Bharadwaj disappointed as no relief was granted by SC on medical grounds

Friends & family of Sudha Bharadwaj disappointed as no relief was granted by SC on medical grounds

Press Note by Friends and Family of Sudha Bharadwaj

Friends and family members of Sudha Bharadwaj disappointed
no relief was granted by Hon’ble Supreme Court on medical grounds

The hearing of Sudha Bharadwaj’s Special Leave Petition for medical bail in the Supreme Court on Thursday did not yield any relief for her, giving a big jolt to the immense faith vested by Bharadwaj’s friends and family members in the Apex Court’s humanitarian rationale.
Although the Apex Court advised filing a regular bail as this was a ‘good case on merits’, by denying medical bail to 58-year-old Sudha Bharadwaj, the Hon’ble Court is risking the possibility of Covid 19, given Bharadwaj’s serious comorbidities. …

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Stop the Incarceration and Targeting of Dissenters and Activists in India

Stop the Incarceration and Targeting of Dissenters and Activists in India

Statement by Progressive International

Members of the PI Council ring the alarm on arbitrary arrests and the breakdown of justice in India.
The conduct of the Indian Government is unacceptable in the international framework for the protection of human rights and runs counter to the Indian Constitutional framework.
The members of Progressive International call upon the Indian government to immediately stop persecuting non-violent protestors wrongly accused and booked by the police. 
Read full statement

Sudha Bharadwaj’s bail plea on medical grounds withdrawn, SC asks her to file one on merits

Sudha Bharadwaj’s bail plea on medical grounds withdrawn, SC asks her to file one on merits

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

The top court said that she had a ‘good case’ for bail on merits and that she should file a plea on those grounds instead.
Lawyer-activist Sudha Bharadwaj on Thursday withdrew her interim bail plea on medical grounds after the Supreme Court refused to entertain her petition in the Bhima Koregaon case, reported The Hindu. Bharadwaj is currently imprisoned at the Byculla Women’s prison in Mumbai.
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“You Have Good Case On Merits”, Remarks SC, Allows Sudha Bhardhwaj To Withdraw Her Plea For Interim Bail On Medical Grounds

Live Law / by Mehal Jain

The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed as withdrawn activist-lawyer Sudha Bhardwaj’s plea for interim bail, granting liberty to approach the court again if need arises.
“I am an undertrial in custody since 2 years. Even the charges have not been framed. I am 58 years old and I am seeking your indulgence for interim bail on medical grounds…”, submitted Senior Advocate Vrinda Grover for the petitioner.
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RBGs Of The World: 6 Women Who Pushed Progress Through The Law

RBGs Of The World: 6 Women Who Pushed Progress Through The Law

WORLDCRUNCH / BY Laure Gautherin and Anne-Sophie Goninet

From Rosa Parks and Malala Yousafzai to Golda Meir and Corazon Aquino, women activists and political leaders have led the fight for gender equality and human rights around the world over the past century …
Sudha Bharadwaj (India): Law was not this mathematics student’s first love, but after seeing the working conditions of certain minorities in India, Sudha Bharadwaj’s pursuit of justice, as described by an editor of The Wire, led her to obtain a late law degree.
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Rights bodies protest in Kolkata, alleges BJP govt trying to crush democratic movements

Rights bodies protest in Kolkata, alleges BJP govt trying to crush democratic movements

THE ROADS WERE NEVER QUIET!

By Release The Poet

CDRO called to observe Sept 22nd as a protest day countrywide against the ‘witch-hunts’ & undemocratic arrests of Bhima Koregaon-15 & others. The city of Kolkata reciprocated too.
Few glimpses of 22nd’s on-road protest, joined by 20+ organisations at Bowbazar, Kolkata.

Rights bodies protest in Kolkata, alleges BJP govt trying to crush democratic movements

Outlook / by pti

Kolkata, Sep 22 (PTI) Several Left-wing outfits and rights bodies staged a demonstration in Kolkata on Tuesday against the arrest of activists by the BJP-led government at the Centre, which they alleged was using the NIA to crush democratic movements.
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