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Jail Before Justice | Sudha Bharadwaj in conversation with Kunal Kamra

Jail Before Justice | Sudha Bharadwaj in conversation with Kunal Kamra

Shut Up Ya Kunal | Episode #35

By Kunal Kamra

hindi/en | 1:17:24 | 2026
Sudha Bharadwaj is a lawyer, trade unionist, and human rights activist whose work has focused on labor rights, access to justice, and the rights of marginalized communities, particularly Adivasis and industrial workers. With decades of experience in public interest law and grassroots advocacy, she has been a prominent voice on issues of constitutional rights, civil liberties, and social justice in India. In this conversation, she reflects on her journey, the challenges of defending vulnerable communities, the legal system, democracy, and the evolving landscape of human rights. A thoughtful discussion on law, justice, and the pursuit of equality.
Watch video

Also read:
▪ NIA making malicious and false allegations to delay trial: Sudha Bhardwaj (Hindustan Times / Jul 2026)
▪ NIA Seeks Cancellation of Activists Varavara Rao, Sudha Bharadwaj Bail Over Mumbai Press Club Meet (The Wire / May 2026)
▪ Sudha Bharadwaj speaks – A Life in Law and Activism

Publishing Date: January 2021
Interview: Darshana Mitra and Santanu Chakraborty
Publisher: Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL)
Pages: 316
Access a free PDF copy of the book here

Global rights monitor CIVICUS puts India on ‘watchlist’ over civic freedoms

Global rights monitor CIVICUS puts India on ‘watchlist’ over civic freedoms

India added to human rights watchlist as repression intensifies in Modi’s third term

29/07/2026

Civicus / by CIVICUS Monitor Watchlist

– A range of legal measures are being used to jail activists, protesters, journalists and critics of the government
– Authorities are expanding censorship and surveillance powers
– NGOs face tighter funding restrictions and unprecedented government control over their operations
India has been added to the latest CIVICUS Monitor Watchlist due to a rapid deterioration in civic freedoms during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s third term. The decline has been marked by the escalating persecution of activists, growing restrictions on independent media and civil society organisations, and the expanded misuse of anti-terror legislation and other legal measures against critics of the government.
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Global rights monitor CIVICUS puts India on ‘watchlist’ over civic freedoms

29/07/2026

Frontline / by Frontline News Desk

CIVICUS, which tracks freedoms across nearly 200 countries, says recent crackdowns on activists, journalists, and civil society groups point to a worsening climate for free expression and peaceful assembly.
India has been added to the latest CIVICUS Monitor Watchlist following what the organisation called a “rapid deterioration in civic freedoms” during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s third term. According to CIVICUS, the decline has been marked by the escalating persecution of activists, growing restrictions on independent media and civil society organisations, and the expanded misuse of anti-terror legislation and other legal measures against critics of the government.
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CIVICUS adds India to global human rights watchlist amid rising curbs on civic freedoms

29/07/2026

Counterview / by Jag Jivan

Global civil society alliance CIVICUS has placed India on its latest CIVICUS Monitor Watchlist, citing what it describes as a rapid deterioration in civic freedoms during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s third term in office.
The organisation says the move reflects an escalating crackdown on activists, journalists, civil society organisations and critics of the government through restrictive legislation, censorship measures and expanded state powers.
… In April 2026, the National Investigation Agency renewed investigations into activists connected to the long-running Bhima Koregaon case, despite several having already spent years in pre-trial detention before obtaining bail.
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India: Activists arrested, abducted and tortured, journalists targeted and laws tightened to increase control

11/06/2026

CIVICUS / by CIVICUS

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.
Read more

Also read:
▪ Civic freedoms remain at risk with crackdown on protests, internet restrictions and denial of bail to activists (CIVICUS / Jan 2026)
▪ Ongoing detention of activists without bail, criminalisation of dissent and ban on books (CIVICUS / Sep S025)
▪ Read India report: INDIA – COUNTRY FACTSHEET 2025 (World Organization Against Torture / Jun 2025)

▪ India: Submission to the UN Human Rights Committee on the deterioration of civic space (CIVICUS /Jul 2024)

After 3 Supreme Court Judges Recuse, Surendra Gadling Requests CJI Kant To List Bail Plea

After 3 Supreme Court Judges Recuse, Surendra Gadling Requests CJI Kant To List Bail Plea

PUDR campaign. June 2024

After 3 Supreme Court Judges Recuse, Surendra Gadling Requests CJI Kant To List Bail Plea In Surajgarh Arson Case

27/07/2026

Law Beat / by Aishwarya Iyer

Last week, the Supreme Court said the matter would be listed before a different combination after noting that Justice Shree Chandrashekhar was unable to hear the case.
The Supreme Court today heard a mentioning made on behalf of Surendra Gadling concerning listing of his bail plea in connection with the 2016 Surajgarh arson case.
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal told a CJI Surya Kant led bench, “Another judge has recused..it may be listed..”.
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Surendra Gadling Bail Plea: Kapil Sibal Asks Supreme Court To List Matter Before Another Bench After Third Judge’s Recusal

27/07/2026

Live Law / by Gursimran Kaur Bakshi

Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal on Monday requested the Supreme Court to assign lawyer-activist Surendra Gadling’s bail plea in the 2016 Gadchiroli arson case to a different bench, after Justice Shree Chandrashekhar recently recused from hearing the matter.
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3rd SC judge recuses himself from hearing lawyer Surendra Gadling’s bail plea

21/07/2026

Hindustan Times / by Abraham Thomas

Supreme Court judge Shree Chandrashekhar on Tuesday recused himself from hearing lawyer Surendra Gadling’s bail plea in a 2016 arson case, becoming the third judge to do so in the case over the past year.
Justice PK Mishra announced the recusal when the National Investigation Agency (NIA) sought an adjournment before the matter came up for hearing before a bench comprising him and Justice Chandrashekhar. Justice Mishra said the matter had to be adjourned anyway, as Justice Chandrashekhar conveyed his inability to hear it. “This will have to go before another bench as my brother [Justice Chandrashekhar] has some difficulty.”
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Third Supreme Court Judge Recuses From Hearing Surendra Gadling’s Bail Plea In 2016 Gadchiroli Arson Case

21/07/2026

Live Law / by Gursimran Kaur Bakshi

The Supreme Court today (July 21) ordered that the bail plea of lawyer-activist Surendra Gadling in the 2016 Gadchiroli arson case should be heard by a bench not comprising Justice Shree Chandrashekhar.
The matter was listed before a bench comprising Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice Shree Chandrashekhar. At the outset, an advocate on behalf of Additional Solicitor General SV Raju (for the National Investigation Agency) sought a passover, while Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal appeared for the petitioner. However, Justice Mishra said the matter will go before another coordinate bench since Justice Chandrashekhar has some difficulty.
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Justice Shree Chandrashekhar recuses from hearing bail plea of Bhima Koregaon accused Surendra Gadling

21/07/2026

The Hindu / by The Hindu Bureau

This marks the third recusal by a Supreme Court judge from hearing activist Mr. Gadling’s bail plea without assigning any reason; the bail plea arises from the 2016 Surjagarh arson case; Mr. Gadling has been in Taloja Central Prison since June 2018 following his arrest in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case
Supreme Court judge Justice Shree Chandrashekhar on Tuesday (July 21, 2026) recused himself from hearing a bail petition filed by advocate and activist Surendra Gadling in connection with the 2016 Surjagarh iron ore mine arson case. It is the third such recusal by a Supreme Court judge in the past year, with no reasons assigned on any of the occasions.
Read more

Also read:
▪ Eight years in jail without trial: HC grants bail to lawyer Surendra Gadling in Elgar Parishad case (Hindustan Times / May 2026)
▪ 7 yrs in jail, charges framed against Surendra Gadling in Surajgarh arson case. What Bombay HC told SC (The Print / Apr 2026)
▪ Justice Chandurkar Recuses From Hearing Surendra Gadling’s Bail Plea In Gadchiroli Arson Case (Live Law / Apr 2026)
▪ Surendra Gadling and the justice that must be seen to be denied (Frontline / Feb 2026)
▪ Explained: The 2016 Surjagarh arson case, the Elgaar link, and why the Supreme Court is intervening now (The Indian Express / Jan 2026)
▪ How Long is Too Long? – On the Maximum Period that an Undertrial Prisoner can be Detained (Constitutional Law and Philosophy | by Hany Babu and Surendra Gadling | Oct 2024)
▪ When Push Comes to Shove: Tracking Judicial Recusals and Transfers (The Wire / Apr 2023)
▪ Surendra Gadling’s Computer Was Attacked, Incriminating Documents Planted: Arsenal Consulting (The Wire / July 2021)
▪ Encountering Resistance – State Policy for Development in Gadchiroli (PUDR / June 2018)

APCR condemns detention of protesters over posters of political prisoners / Mumbai Event Highlighting Constitutional Values

APCR condemns detention of protesters over posters of political prisoners / Mumbai Event Highlighting Constitutional Values

APCR condemns detention of Goa NEET protesters over posters of political prisoners, alleges criminalisation of dissent

30/07/2026

Maktoobmedia / by Maktoob

According to APCR, the controversy began when activist Danish displayed a placard at a peaceful gathering following the Education Minister’s resignation over paper leaks, calling for the release of undertrial prisoners, including Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid and the Bhima Koregaon accused.
The Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) on Thursday condemned the detention and criminal proceedings against activist Sudeep Dalvi, Danish and other NEET protesters in Goa, alleging that the state was using criminal law to suppress peaceful dissent and violate constitutional freedoms.
Read more

The Jantar Mantar Student Protest: Anger, Accountability, and Democratic Rights

29/07/2026

Countercurrents.org / by Dinkar Kapoor

… It must also be noted that the anger brewing against the Modi government stems partly from the systematic erosion of democratic and constitutional rights. The government has suppressed every voice of dissent through repression. Some of the nation’s finest minds—such as Anand Teltumbde, Gautam Navlakha, Umar Khalid, Prabir Purkayastha, Sudha Bharadwaj, and Satyam Verma—have been imprisoned. Organizing sit-ins, protests, fasts, movements, or marches has become not merely difficult but virtually impossible in the country. Individuals committed to social causes—who strengthen democracy—were branded as “Andolanjeevi” (professional protesters), “anti-nationals,” and even “cockroaches.” Institutions that bolster the democratic system and channel public outrage toward democratic resolutions have been dismantled.
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‘Free Umar Khalid’ placard draws police action at Goa protest

26/07/2026

The Indian Express / by Pavneet Singh Chadha

Goa police detain man for carrying a placard that said ‘Free Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Bhima Koregaon 16’. Came after BJP Yuva Morcha workers staged a protest demanding his arrest
Goa Police Saturday evening detained a man for allegedly carrying a “Free Umar Khalid” placard at a gathering organised to express solidarity with the protests at Jantar Mantar in Delhi and to mark the resignation of former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
According to the police, the incident took place around 7 pm, when people gathered at the Azad Maidan in Panaji were raising slogans. Police said one of the protesters was carrying a placard that read, “Free Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Bhima Koregaon 16”.
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‘Refuse to Lift Your Lathis’: 1800 Citizens Write Open Letter to Security Forces At Jantar Mantar

25/07/2026

The Wire / by The Wire Staff

“Next time an order like this comes to you to savagely attack innocent peaceful protesters you must stop and think, and you must refuse to lift your lathi,” the letter read.
A group of concerned citizens, with over 1800 signatories, have written an open letter to the police and security forces deployed at Jantar Mantar, Delhi, following visuals of a violent crackdown on student protesters on July 20, 2026. Appealing directly to the personnel’s conscience, the letter asks them to resist orders to attack peaceful demonstrators. The letter has been circulated in 15 Indian languages, apart from English: Bengali, Garhwali, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Khasi, Maithili, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Tamizh, Telugu and Urdu.
Read the full letter

“Hum Bharat Ke Log”: Tushar Gandhi Leads Mumbai Event Highlighting Constitutional Values & Democratic Rights

24/07/2026

Free Press Journal / by Poonam Apraj

Around 200 activists, students, writers and citizens gathered in Mumbai for ‘Hum Bharat Ke Log – Voice of Resistance’, a cultural programme highlighting constitutional values. Presided over by Tushar Gandhi, the event saw the launch of the ‘Lawyers of Students’ app for legal aid to protesting students. Speakers discussed democracy, justice, equality and peaceful civic participation.
… Those present included Dhananjay Shinde, Aamir Kazi, Guddi Tiwari, Sudhir Dhawale, Suvarna Salve, Subodh More, Tejas, Huma Namal, actor Sushant Singh, Akshay from Raigad and Advocate Todkar.
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CJP protest row: Mumbai Police book Shivaji Park organisers for unlawful assembly

20/07/2026

The Indian Express / by Express News Service

The organisers of the Shivaji Park protest are facing an FIR for ‘unlawful assembly’ as the Mumbai Police said, no permission was granted to carry out the demonstration.
… Earlier, the Mumbai Police had registered two FIRs in connection with the protests that were carried out in south Mumbai on Saturday in support of Sonam Wangchuk.The first FIR was registered at the Marine Drive police station against the NCP (Sharad Pawar) faction party workers for protesting near Mantralaya, and the second against left party organisations for protesting near the Press Club. The seven people booked include Sudhir Dhawale, an accused in the Elgar Parishad case who received bail last year.
Read more

Also read:
▪ The exam crisis that became a battle for accountability (SabrangIndia / Jul 2026)
▪ CJP protest: From Shillong to Mumbai, solidarity demonstrations held across India (Scroll.in / Jul 2026)
▪ How Maharashtra’s folk traditions fuel Sudhir Dhawale’s tireless cultural resistance against caste (Scroll.in / Apr 2026)
▪ As Maharashtra Govt Brings Bill Against ‘Urban Naxalism’, Activists Fear Criminalisation of Dissent (The Wire / Jul 2025)
▪ How Kabir Kala Manch, the anti-caste cultural troupe, challenges the hierarchical social order (Scroll.in / Jul 2024)
▪ Kabir Kala Manch: A History of Revolutionary Singing and State Repression (ritimo / April 2022)
▪ Singing on the beats of resistance: Relaa collective and the cultural activists of Maharashtra (ritimo.org / Apr 2022)
▪ Maharashtra: Activists, Lawyers Added to ‘Union War Book’, Listed as ‘Enemies of the State’ (The Wire / Jul 2021)

In Defence of the Profanity of Protesters / Exam anger becomes a political reckoning

In Defence of the Profanity of Protesters / Exam anger becomes a political reckoning

Mumbai. Pic credits: Sayyed Sameer Abedi / Mid-Day

In Defence of the Profanity of Protesters

30/07/2026

The Wire / by Anand Teltumbde

The state had a script for slogans, petitions, op-eds – the standard grammar of Indian dissent, which it had learned to out-shout, outspend or simply wait out over ten years in power. It had no script at all for being laughed at.

When the great lord passes the wise peasant bows deeply and silently farts.
–Ethiopian proverb

On July 24, Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as Union education minister – the first such casualty a citizens’ movement has extracted from Narendra Modi’s government in more than a decade in power. It is worth asking why this movement, of all the movements this government has faced down and outlasted, actually worked. Part of the answer lies in something India’s commentariat has been strangely reluctant to say out loud: the “Cockroaches” won partly because they were rude.
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CJP protests | Exam anger becomes a political reckoning

24/07/2026

Deccan Herald / by Bharat Bhushan

Pan-India protests against the events of July 20 have marked a significant shift in Indian politics, moribund for 12 years under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. What began as a narrow protest about examination leaks has become a generational statement about the lack of institutional accountability.
… A movement of such diversity resists easy categorisation. This is making it harder for the government to neutralise it by its usual strategy of labelling its critics as anti-national. Whereas it attempted to brand earlier protest movements as political extremists such as Punjab farmers as ‘Khalistani’; anti-CAA protestors as representing sectarian ‘Muslim unrest’; linking civil rights’ activists in the Bhima-Koregaon case to ‘Naxalite extremists’, and the infamous attempt to label JNU students as being sympathetic to Kashmiri militants.
Read more

Why Should Protesters Seek Police Permission?

22/07/2026

The Wire / by Anand Teltumbde

The police response to the students’ march in Delhi raises a disturbing question. Had the police begun to resemble street goons, or had street goons been absorbed into the policing of democratic dissent?
On July 20, the long-running protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar took a dramatic turn. For nearly three weeks, an uneasy calm had prevailed around the indefinite fast of Sonam Wangchuk and three students demanding accountability for repeated examination leaks and the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The original permission to assemble had long since expired, yet, curiously, the police allowed the protest to continue, perhaps calculating that it would eventually lose momentum.
Instead, the opposite happened.
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The exam crisis that became a battle for accountability

21/07/2026

Sabrang India / by Sabrang India

From student grievances to Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike, the movement questioned accountability, democracy and the limits of State intervention
On July 20, 2026, the streets around Delhi’s Jantar Mantar became the centre of a rapidly escalating confrontation between a student-led movement demanding accountability over alleged failures in the education system and a State determined to prevent the protest from moving towards Parliament.
… In Mumbai, the state’s restrictive approach to public assembly has turned the city into a theater of confrontation.
Read more

CJP protest row: Mumbai Police book Shivaji Park organisers for unlawful assembly

20/07/2026

The Indian Express / by Express News Service

The organisers of the Shivaji Park protest are facing an FIR for ‘unlawful assembly’ as the Mumbai Police said, no permission was granted to carry out the demonstration.
… Earlier, the Mumbai Police had registered two FIRs in connection with the protests that were carried out in south Mumbai on Saturday in support of Sonam Wangchuk.The first FIR was registered at the Marine Drive police station against the NCP (Sharad Pawar) faction party workers for protesting near Mantralaya, and the second against left party organisations for protesting near the Press Club. The seven people booked include Sudhir Dhawale, an accused in the Elgar Parishad case who received bail last year.
Read more

Mumbai Police Register Three FIRs Over Uddhav Thackeray-Led Protest Backing Sonam Wangchuk

20/07/2026

Lokmat Times / by Lokmat Times Desk

Mumbai Police have registered three FIRs in connection with the protest led by Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday in support of activist Sonam Wangchuk. According to the police, the first FIR concerns the alleged organisation of the protest without prior permission. The second relates to appeals made to the public to gather at the venue despite the lack of official approval. The third FIR was filed after students reportedly continued demonstrations at various locations in Dadar even after the main protest ended, causing major traffic congestion. Police said no arrests have been made in any of the three cases so far.
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Elgar Parishad accused booked for protesting in support of Sonam Wangchuk

19/07/2026

Hindustan Times / by HT Correspondent

Azad Maidan police said the protestors were booked for unlawful assembly and allowed to leave after being served notices to present themselves if required
MUMBAI: Activist and writer Sudhir Dhawale and a few others were booked by the police for protesting outside Azad Maidan on Saturday, in connection with the alleged forcible removal of activist Sonam Wangchuk from Jantar Mantar in Delhi. Dhawale is one of the accused in the Elgar Parishad case and was released on bail from the Taloja Central Jail in January 2025.
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CJP protest in Mumbai: How Azad Maidan became the city’s site of agitations, with restrictions

19/07/2026

The Indian Express / by Sadaf Modak

Azad Maidan as a site of protest can be traced back to a 1997 court case. Since then, several rules have been laid down on the manner of protests allowed, including weekend restrictions, a ban on hunger strikes, and the slogans that can be raised.
Mumbai-based activists and citizens have been gathering at the Azad Maidan since last week in solidarity with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest being held at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, over the NEET-UG 2026 entrance examination paper leak.
On Saturday (July 18), the Mumbai Police filed two FIRs against some of the protestors, citing the Public Meetings, Agitations and Processions Rules, 2025, which prohibit protests at the maidan on weekends.
Read more

Also read:
▪ Who Answers to Us?: The Jantar Mantar Protests and India’s Missing Idea of Accountability (The Wire | by Anand Teltumbde | Jul 2026)
▪ The exam crisis that became a battle for accountability (SabrangIndia / Jul 2026)
▪ CJP protest: From Shillong to Mumbai, solidarity demonstrations held across India (Scroll.in / Jul 2026)
▪ How Maharashtra’s folk traditions fuel Sudhir Dhawale’s tireless cultural resistance against caste (Scroll.in / Apr 2026)
▪ Elgar Parishad case accused at event that attacked Maharashtra Public Security Bill, cops to seek bail review (TOI / May 2026)
▪ Sudhir Dhawale: “This is a bigger prison” (The Caravan | by Sudhir Dhawale | Apr 2025)
▪ Interview | Sudhir Dhawale’s Work Will Go on (The Wire / Feb 2025)
▪ Sudhir Dhawale interview: ‘The law remains blind to injustice even with the blindfold gone’ (Scroll.in / Feb 2025)

SC to hear Surendra Gadling bail plea in Elgar Parishad case next week after delays

SC to hear Surendra Gadling bail plea in Elgar Parishad case next week after delays

PUDR campaign. June 2024

SC to hear Surendra Gadling’s bail plea next week in Elgar Parishad case

17/07/2026

National Herald / by NH Digital

Advocate has spent over seven years in jail; court agrees to urgent hearing after counsel cites repeated delays
The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear next week the bail plea of advocate Surendra Gadling, an accused in the 2018 Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, after his counsel highlighted his prolonged incarceration and repeated delays in the proceedings.
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SC to hear Surendra Gadling bail plea in Elgar Parishad case next week after delays

17/07/2026

India Today / by India Today News Desk

The Supreme Court will hear advocate Surendra Gadling’s bail plea next week in the Elgar Parishad case. The listing revives a long-pending matter after repeated adjournments and years of incarceration.
The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear next week the bail plea of advocate Surendra Gadling, an accused in the 2018 Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana gave the assurance after senior advocate Kapil Sibal sought an urgent listing, saying Gadling had been in jail for seven-and-a-half years.
Read more

Also read:
▪ Eight years in jail without trial: HC grants bail to lawyer Surendra Gadling in Elgar Parishad case (Hindustan Times / May 2026)
▪ 7 yrs in jail, charges framed against Surendra Gadling in Surajgarh arson case. What Bombay HC told SC (The Print / Apr 2026)
▪ Justice Chandurkar Recuses From Hearing Surendra Gadling’s Bail Plea In Gadchiroli Arson Case (Live Law / Apr 2026)
▪ Public Meeting at Press Club of India Demands Release of People’s Lawyer Surendra Gadling (The Mooknayak / March 2026)
▪ Explained: The 2016 Surjagarh arson case, the Elgaar link, and why the Supreme Court is intervening now (The Indian Express / Jan 2026)
▪ Surendra Gadling and the justice that must be seen to be denied (Frontline / Feb 2026)
▪ How Long is Too Long? – On the Maximum Period that an Undertrial Prisoner can be Detained (Constitutional Law and Philosophy | by Hany Babu and Surendra Gadling | Oct 2024)
▪ In What Language, Under Total Surveillance, Does Truth Speak to a Tormented People? (The Wire | by Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson, Surendra Gadling and Mahesh Raut | June 2024)
▪ Encountering Resistance – State Policy for Development in Gadchiroli (PUDR / June 2018)
▪ IAPL press note about arrest of Advocate Gadling & other people’s activists (Sanhati / June 2018)

Who is afraid of Stan Swamy? And why?

Who is afraid of Stan Swamy? And why?

Sabrangindia / by Parakala Prbhakar

Political economist, Parakala Prabhakar delivered the Father Stan Swamy Memorial Lecture, St. Patrick’s High School, Secunderabad July 11, 2026; we reproduce the entire text of the lecture below

Dignitaries on the dais and my dear friends,
I felt sad, was moved to tears, when Father Stan Swamy died. There was a chapter on him in my book, The Crooked Timber of New India. The title of the chapter is ‘Who Killed Father Stan Swamy?’ You would have noticed that I asked, ‘who killed’ Stan Swamy’. I meant that he did not simply die. I meant that he was, indeed, killed.
Read more

Also read:
▪ Remembering Stan Swamy: Five Years Since His Custodial Death / The Struggles He Lived For Continue … (Jul 2026)

NIA making malicious and false allegations to delay trial: Sudha Bharadwaj

NIA making malicious and false allegations to delay trial: Sudha Bharadwaj

Poster by #bakeryprasad

NIA making malicious and false allegations to delay trial: Sudha Bhardwaj

11.07.2026

Hindustan Times / by Vikrant Jha

Bharadwaj told a special court that the agency’s allegations that a gathering on January 19 at the Mumbai Press Club was convened to propagate the ideology of the banned CPI (Maoist) and further the “Urban Naxal” movement were “wholly false and malicious” and “no documents or evidence of any kind supporting these” had been supplied to her by the NIA.
Activist-lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj, an accused in the Bhima Koregaon-Elgar Parishad case, on Friday opposed the National Investigation Agency (NIA)’s plea seeking cancellation of her bail.
Read more

Mere communication with co-accused can’t warrant bail cancellation, court told

11.07.2026

The Indian Express / by Sadaf Modak

The agency claims that they have violated a bail condition, by communicating with each other. The court will hear arguments by the lawyers of the other two accused, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira, whose bails are sought to be cancelled by the NIA on July 20.
In the Elgaar Parishad case, lawyer activist Sudha Bharadwaj told a special court on Friday that mere communication between co-accused cannot be a ground to cancel bail. The court was hearing arguments on the National Investigation Agency’s plea seeking cancellation of bail to Bharadwaj and three other accused, over a meeting at the Mumbai Press Club in January.
Read more

Also read:
▪ Charge of Maoist link in Press Club meet ‘mere assumption’ – Varavara Rao opposes NIA bail repeal plea (The Print / Jul 2026)
▪ NIA Moves to Cancel Bails of Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira in Elgar Parishad Case (The Wire / Jun 2026)
▪ Activist Sudha Bharadwaj Seeks All Evidence Cited By NIA In Bail Cancellation Plea (Times of India / Jun 2026)
▪ NIA Seeks Cancellation of Activists Varavara Rao, Sudha Bharadwaj Bail Over Mumbai Press Club Meet (The Wire / May 2026)
▪ Mumbai Press Club Suspensions Over Elgar Parishad Accused Visit Spark Row; NIA Inquiry Raises Stakes (The Wire / May 2026)

Mahesh Raut moves Bombay High Court for permission to travel to Kerala for Ayurvedic treatment

Mahesh Raut moves Bombay High Court for permission to travel to Kerala for Ayurvedic treatment

Mahesh Raut

Update by Bar & Bench (Jul 15):
Bombay High Court gave NIA one week’s time to respond to Mahesh Raut’s plea seeking leave to go to Kerala for a medical treatment.
The court indicated it would pass an order permitting the Bhima Koregaon accused to travel for about 9 days with conditions like reporting to the local police station after three days, subject to NIA’s reply.

Mahesh Raut moves Bombay High Court for permission to travel to Kerala for Ayurvedic treatment

07/07/2026

Bar & Bench / by Bar & Bench

The Bhima Koregaon accused has sought permission to visit Kerala’s Ayurvedasram for rheumatoid arthritis treatment.
Mahesh Raut, an accused in the Bhima Koregaon-Elgar Parishad case of 2018, has moved the Bombay High Court after a special court rejected his plea to travel to Kerala for Ayurvedic treatment in January 2026. [Mahesh Raut v. NIA & Ors.]
Read more

Accused Mahesh Raut Moves Bombay High Court Seeking Permission To Travel To Kerala For Treatment

07/07/2026

Live Law / by Narsi Benwal

One of the accused in the Bhima Koregaon-Elgar Parishad case, Mahesh Raut has moved a plea before the Bombay High Court seeking permission to travel to Kerala for Ayurvedic treatment after a special NIA court turned down his plea for the same in January this year.
Raut has challenged the January 21, 2026 order of a special NIA court in the city, which had rejected his plea to travel to Poonthottam Ayurvedasram in Kerala from January 29 to February 7. He had sought to travel to the Ayurvedic Ashram for treating his rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren’s syndrome. He had urged the court to relax the condition in his bail order, which mandated him not to leave Mumbai.
Read more

Also read:
▪ NIA court denies Mahesh Raut permission to travel to Kerala for medical treatment (Hindustan Times / Jan 2026)
▪ Mahesh Raut | A Broken Prison System Is In Dire Need Of Critical Care (Outlook / Jan 2026)
▪ Year after being granted bail, Mahesh Raut remains in jail as stay extended (The Indian Express / Sep 2024)
▪ Bhima Koregaon Case: Mahesh Raut, youngest accused, granted bail by the Bombay HC! (SabrangIndia / Sep 2023)

To mark Stan Swamy’s death anniversary, Surendra Gadling and Dinkar Gota held a one-day hunger strike

To mark Stan Swamy’s death anniversary, Surendra Gadling and Dinkar Gota held a one-day hunger strike

By Raghavendra Nyshadham via fb (Jul 4):

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.

Respectfully,
Surendra Gadling
Dinkar Gota
Taloja Central Prison
Taloja, Navi Mumbai

Also read:
▪ Explained: The 2016 Surjagarh arson case, the Elgaar link, and why the Supreme Court is intervening now (The Indian Express / Jan 2026)
▪ I saw firsthand how callous prison officials and their negligence led to Stan Swamy’s death (Scroll.in | by Arun Ferreira | Jul 2025)
▪ Daring, Fearless and Kind, Father Stan Swamy Remains a Beacon of Resistance (The Wire | by Hany Babu, Jyoti Jagtap, Mahesh Raut, Ramesh Murlidhar Gaichor, Sagar Gorkhe, Surendra Gadling | Jul 2025)
▪ ‘Bhima Koregaon 16’ go on hunger strike to mark Stan Swamy’s death anniversary (Hindustan Times / Jul 2024)
▪ Stan Swamy’s second death anniversary: Stand Up for What Is Right, demand Co-Accused  (The Wire / July 5, 2023)
▪ Encountering Resistance – State Policy for Development in Gadchiroli (PUDR / June 2018)
▪ DISINHERITING ADIVASIS – THE GADCHIROLI GAME PLAN (KAFILA / June 2018)