Posts – Page 51 – free them all

Excerpts from ‘From Phansi Yard: My Year with Women of Yerawada’ by Sudha Bharadwaj

26/12/2023 Asha

By People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL)

Sudha Bharadwaj’s recently published book ‘From Phansi Yard: My Year with the Women of Yerawada’ is a tenderly written collection of her memories, through which one gets to witness her resilient spirit, and yet, her vulnerabilities. In the book, she observes, reflects and chronicles stories of women prisoners, prison conditions and her own journey.
… The book begins with an interview, in which she narrates her story, her memories of the beginning of her activism, her relationship with her daughter and the work she did with the Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha. Here are some excerpts from the book, that illustrate the warmth and compassion with which she wrote about her fellow prisoners (whom she has numbered and left anonymous), and her unyielding courage with which she survived incarceration.
Read more

From Phansi Yard: My Year with the Women of Yerawada

Author: Sudha Bhardwaj
Publisher: Juggernaut
Pages: 216
Order

Also watch/read:

● Video – Book Release: Why is the state afraid of Sudha Bharadwaj?

By People’s Union for Civil Liberties, Jan 2021en + hindi | 2h 53min | 2021

Topic: Why is the state afraid of Sudha Bharadwaj?
A long interview conducted with Sudha over several days before she was arrested is now being published as an online book “Sudha Bharadwaj Speaks – A Life in Law and Activism”, and will be released at this webinar by the well-known writer, Nayantara Sahgal. Sudha’s daughter, Maaysha, her lawyer Yug Chaudhary, social activist Harsh Mandar, historian Uma Chakravarti amongst other coworkers & colleagues, will also share their experiences and memories of working with her.
Watch video @ PUCL Facebook (videos)

● 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
Paperback: 316 pages
Access a free PDF copy of the book here:
Sudha_Bharadwaj_speaks (2,1 MB)

● Video: The Conditions of Prisoners in Indian Jails

By All India Lawyers’ Association for Justice – AILAJ | March 2022

en | 1:21:23 | 2022
The huge number of undertrials, the overcrowding, and the disproportional numbers of Dalit, Muslim and Adivasi prisoners are part of the prison problem in India.
We are joined by Adv. Sudha Bharadwaj for a discussion on the Conditions of Prisoners in Indian Jails.
Watch video

A look at charges against Hindutva leader Ekbote in 2018 Koregaon Bhima violence

26/12/2023 Asha

Pune Crime Files: A look at charges against Hindutva leader Ekbote and court observations in 2018 Koregaon Bhima violence

26/12/2023

The Indian Express / by Chandan Haygunde

Widespread violence broke out in Koregaon Bhima area on January 1, 2018, when a few lakh people, mainly the Ambedkarites, had gathered to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the battle between the British Army and Peshwa forces.
Preparations are in full swing at the ‘Jaystambh’, a British war memorial at Pune’s Perne village, to mark the 206th anniversary of the battle of Koregaon Bhima that was fought between the British Army and Peshwa forces on January 1, 1818.
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6 years, 14 extensions later Koregaon Bhima Commission’s work still unfinished

26/12/2023

Hindustan Times / by Nadeem Inamdar, Yogesh Joshi

It has been six years since the caste conflict broke out at Koregaon Bhima and the work of the Commission to probe into the events that led to the clashes is yet to be completed after 14 extensions
As the 206th anniversary of the battle of Koregaon Bhima draws near, Pune district administration has teamed up with the law enforcing agencies to monitor social media to avoid any untoward incident.
Read more

Also Read:
● Top Investigating Officer Admits Elgar Parishad Event ‘Had No Role’ in Bhima Koregaon Violence (The Wire / Dec 2022)
● Bhima Koregaon Violence: Four Different Theories, but No Justice in Sight (The Wire / Jan 2022)
● Ekbote instigated Koregaon Bhima violence, Elgaar Parishad organiser tells panel (The Indian Express / Sep 2021)
● India’s Hindu Nationalist Project Relies on Brutal Repression (Jacobinmag / April 2021)

PUDR welcomes the Bombay High Court order granting regular bail to Gautam Navlakha

21/12/2023 Asha

pudr.org / Peoples Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR)

PUDR welcomes the Bombay High Court order granting regular bail to Gautam Navlakha, a well-known civil rights activist, author, and journalist, on December 19, 2023. The two-member bench comprising Justices AS Gadkari and Shivkumar Dige ruled that based on a perusal of the documents presented, there was no material evidence to infer Gautam Navlakha’s involvement in terrorist acts as shown in the chargesheet against him under sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) by the National Investigating Agency (NIA).
Read full statement

Also read:
● PUDR welcomes the release on bail of Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira today, but protests onerous bail conditions (PUDR / Aug 2023)
● Five years behind bars for five activists – Without bail, without charges being framed, without justice! (PUDR / June 2023)

‘Ominous portents’: Why High Court staying its own bail orders in Bhima Koregaon case is troubling

21/12/2023 Asha

Scroll.in / by Vineet Bhalla

Mahesh Raut was granted bail in September but he remains in prison. A similar fate might await Gautam Navlakha, who was granted bail on Tuesday.
More than five years after he was arrested in the Bhima Koregaon case, journalist and activist Gautam Navlakha was finally granted bail by the Bombay High Court on Tuesday. However, he is unlikely to walk out of prison soon.
Another person accused in the case, activist Mahesh Raut, was granted bail by the High Court in September. Nearly four months later, he is still in prison.
Read more

Also read:
● Supreme Court extends stay on bail granted to Mahesh Raut again (The Leaflet / Oct 2023)
● Supreme Court extends stay on bail granted to Mahesh Raut (The Leaflet / Sep 27, 2023)
● Bhima Koregaon: Bombay High Court grants regular bail to Mahesh Raut (The Leaflet / Sep 21, 2023)

Bombay HC grants bail to Gautam Navlakha but stays order for NIA to file appeal [read order]

19/12/2023 Asha

No evidence to show Bhima Koregaon accused Gautam Navlakha was involved in terrorist act: Bombay High Court [read order]

21/12/2023

Bar & Bench / by Neha Joshi

The Court the evidence on record indicated that Navlakha can at the most be said to have been a member of the banned CPI (Maoist) and therefore, it would only attract offences under Sections 13 and 38 of UAPA.
There is no prima facie evidence to show that activist Gautam Navlakha was involved in any terrorist act under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), the Bombay High Court observed while granting him bail in the Bhima Koregaon case of 2018. [Gautam Navlakha v. National Investigation Agency & Ors.]
Read more
Read order

No material to show that Gautam Navlakha committed terrorist act, says Bombay HC in bail order

21/12/2023

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

The court allowed the activist’s bail petition on Tuesday, and the detailed judgement was made public on Wednesday.
The Bombay High Court said on Tuesday that there was no material to suggest that activist and journalist Gautam Navlakha had committed a terrorist act as defined by the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Read more

Bombay High Court Grants Bail To Journalist Gautam Navlakha In Bhima Koregaon – Elgar Parishad Case [read order]

20/12/2023

Live Law / by Sharmeen Hakim

There is no material to infer senior journalist and accused Gautam Navlakha had committed a terrorist Act as contemplated under Section 15 of UAPA, the Bombay High Court observed in its detailed order granting him bail in the Bhima Koregaon – Elgar Parishad Case.
“The actual involvement of the appellant in any terrorist act cannot be even inferred from any of the communications and/ or statements of the witnesses,” the court observed.
Read more
Read order

Bombay High Court grants, stays bail to Gautam Navlakha

19/12/2023

The Leaflet / by Sarah Thanawala

Following a concerning trend, a Bench of Justices A.S. Gadkari and Shivkumar Dige has allowed a stay of three weeks on the bail Order.
On Tuesday, the Bombay High Court granted bail to journalist and human rights activist Gautam Navlakha.
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Bombay High Court Grants Bail To Gautam Navlakha In Bhima Koregaon Case; Stays Order For 3 Weeks

19/12/2023

Live Law / by Livelaw News Network

The Bombay High Court has granted bail to senior journalist and activist Gautam Navlakha, an accused in the Bhima Koregaon- Elgar Parishad case over alleged Maoist links.
The order was passed by a division bench headed by Justice AS Gadkari, making him the seventh accused to be granted bail in the the case.
After the NIA urged the court to stay the order for a period of six weeks, the court stayed the order for three weeks.
Read more

Bombay High Court Grants Bail to Gautam Navlakha

19/12/2023

Bar & Bench / by Neha Joshi

He is the seventh accused to get bail in the Bhima Koregaon case after Sudha Bharadwaj, Varavara Rao, Anand Teltumbde, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira.
The Bombay High Court on Tuesday granted bail to activist Gautam Navlakha, accused in Bhima Koregaon riot case of 2018.
A division bench of Justices AS Gadkari and SG Dige imposed the same conditions for bail on Navlakha as imposed on the co-accused, Anand Teltumbde and Mahesh Raut.
Read more

Bombay High Court Grants Bail to Gautam Navlakha in Elgar Parishad Case

19/12/2023

The Wire / by The Wire Staff

The court has put a three-week stay on its decision in which the National Investigation Agency can approach the Supreme Court.
… Five of the accused – lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj, poet Varavara Rao, academic Anand Teltumbe, lawyer Arun Ferreira and activist Vernon Gonsalves – are currently out on bail. Father Stan Swamy, a tribal rights activist and Jesuit priest, passed away while in custody.
Activist Mahesh Raut was granted bail in September, but remains in jail as the stay on that decision was extended.
Read more

Bombay High Court asks probe agency NIA for ‘correct facts’ in Elgar Parishad case

19/12/2023 Asha

India Today / by Vidya

The Bombay High Court has told the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to give a proper response to a request from some of the Elgar Parishad accused who are seeking default bail. The court mentioned that there are incorrect facts in the documents submitted.
While observing that “incorrect facts are stated in the pleadings”, the Bombay High Court has directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to file a proper reply to the petition filed by some of the accused in the Elgar Parishad case while praying for default bail.
… The court then adjourned the hearing of the petitions to January 16.
Read more

● Bombay High Court rejects default bail plea of Varavara Rao and seven other accused (The Leaflet / May 2022)
● Bombay HC grants default bail to Sudha Bharadwaj, but declines the same to eight other accused (The Leaflet / Dec 2021)

Bail not Jail, India’s constitutional courts’ bumpy ride towards personal liberty

18/12/2023 Asha

CJP / by CJP

A retrospective glance at 2023: Have courts effectively safeguarded the diminishing right to liberty for Indian citizens?

“The right not to be denied reasonable bail without just cause is an essential element of an enlightened criminal justice system”

Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and MM Sundaresh, Supreme Court July 11, 2022

India follows a reformative form of justice system. Our criminal system is founded on the belief of not curtailing the rights of a prisoner and under trial. The system, thus far, also empowers constitutional courts to protect the fundamental rights guaranteed to every citizen of our country.
Read more

Also read:
● Supreme Court directs high courts to expedite hearing of bail applications (The Leaflet / Dec 2023)

Koregaon-Bhima Shaurya Day; High Court orders to remove sugarcane near Victory Pillar

18/12/2023 Asha

Imprisoned Voices. Booklet.

Pune Mirror / by By PuneMirror Bureau, Yashpal Sonkamble

The High Court has cleared the way for Shaurya Day to be celebrated in Koregaon-Bhima. The court has ordered removal of the sugarcane from the Vijay Pillar area and clear the place.
Read more

Also Read:
● Bhima Koregaon Violence: Four Different Theories, but No Justice in Sight (The Wire / Jan 2022)
● Let’s Remember the Lesson of Bhima Koregaon: Down with the New Peshwai (Sanhati│ by Sudhir Dhawale │ March 2018)
● The Myth of Bhima Koregaon Reinforces the Identities It Seeks to Transcend (The Wire | Anand Teltumbde | Jan 2018)
● Why peoples’ coalitions are uniting against Hindutva — the ‘new Peshwai’ (Dailyo.in │ by Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves │ Jan 30, 2018)

Sudha Bharadwaj: What I knew in the abstract I was now living, feeling and observing

17/12/2023 Asha

The Leaflet / by Freny Manecksha

In this interview, trade unionist and lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj, who was jailed in the Bhima-Koregaon matter and has just produced a book on From Phansi Yard: My Year with the Women of Yerawada, tells Freny Manecksha how prison changes one for the worse, but also for the better.

“But the irony is on the day they (Adivasis of Sarkeguda, Chhattisgarh) are vindicated, seven years after they began their fight, I, their first lawyer, am in jail 1,000 kilometers away! Yet it is a happy day.”
Read more

Also read:
● Prison Occupancy Rose In 2022, Despite Campaign To Release Undertrials. Three in four prisoners continue to be undertrials, a majority of whom belong to oppressed caste groups (Indiaspend.com | Shreehari Paliath | Dec 2023)

● Sudha Bharadwaj speaks – A Life in Law and Activism

The curious case of Gautam Navlakha’s house arrest

13/12/2023 Asha

The Leaflet / by Prakhar Bajpai

Taking a closer look at the legal and practical aspects of house arrest, the author makes a case for pivotal reforms that the Supreme Court must make to strengthen criminal justice.
… A notable illustration of this pertains to the legal proceedings involving Gautam Navlakha, wherein the Supreme Court has crafted jurisprudential constructs surrounding house arrest within the ambit of custodial arrangements.
Read more

Also read:
● Supreme Court adjourns hearing on the dispute over Gautam Navlakha’s place of house arrest by eight weeks (The Leaflet / Sep 2023)
● NIA opposes Gautam Navlakha’s plea for moving house arrest from Mumbai to Alibag (The Leaflet / May 2023)
● Explainer: As activist Gautam Navlakha is allowed house arrest, what does this actually involve? (Scroll.in / Nov 2022)