Hindutva leader Sambhaji Bhide’s name dropped from Bhima Koregaon case, say police
05/05/2022
Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff
He had been booked for allegedly instigating caste violence which resulted in death of a person in a Pune village in 2018.
The Maharashtra Police have dropped Hindutva leader Sambhaji Bhide’s name from the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence case, PTI reported on Wednesday. In a report filed before the Maharashtra Human Rights Commission, the police submitted that the Bhide was not found to have played any role in the violence, PTI reported. Read more
Bhide’s name dropped from Bhima Koregaon case: Police
04/05/2022
Hindustan Times / by HT Correspondent
The name of Sambhaji Bhide has been dropped from the 2018 Koregaon-Bhima violence case as no evidence was found against the right-wing leader, Pune rural police said in a report filed before the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission on Wednesday. Read more
Bombay High Court rejects default bail plea of Varavara Rao and seven other accused
04/05/2022
The Leaflet / by Sabah Gurmat
The Bombay High Court earlier today dismissed a petition filed by eight activists, academics and lawyers accused in the Bhima Koregaon (Elgar Parishad) violence case, who sought review of an earlier order which dismissed their appeal for default bail.
A plea seeking default bail was filed by P. Varavara Rao, Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Ferreira, Sudhir Dhawale, Shoma Sen, Rona Wilson, Mahesh Raut and Surendra Gadling. Read more
Bombay HC Says Won’t Review Refusal of Default Bail to 3 Activists
04/05/2022
The Wire / by The Wire Staff
Varavara Rao, Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves’ petition said the high court’s previous order was based on a “factual error”.
The Bombay high court on Wednesday dismissed a petition filed by Varavara Rao and two other activists, arrested in the Elgar Parishad case, seeking a review of an earlier order of the high court which refused them default bail.
The high court said it finds it difficult to hold there was any factual error in its earlier judgement and requires a review. Read more
Bombay HC Rejects Review Plea Seeking Default Bail To Varavara Rao, Vernon Gonsalves & Arun Ferreira
04/05/2022
Live Law / by Sharmeen Hakim
The Bombay High Court has rejected a review application filed by three accused in the Bhima Koregaon – Elgar Parishad Case seeking bail and factual corrections in the order refusing them default bail.
The court disposed of a review application filed by the three, seeking factual corrections in the order refusing them default bail and subsequently release. Read more
Bombay High Court rejects default bail plea of Varavara Rao, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves
04/05/2022
Bar & Bench / by Neha Joshi
The review application by Varavara Rao, Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves claimed there was factual error in the High Court’s December 2021 judgment, which if not rectified, will lead to “gross miscarriage of justice”.
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday rejected the plea filed by three accused Varavara Rao, Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves in the Bhima Koregaon case seeking review of the High Court’s December 2021 judgment refusing them default bail. [P Varavara Rao & Ors. v. State of Maharashtra & Anr.] Read more
India’s sedition law, its usage, and the opinions around it
04/05/2022
The Hindu / by Suchitra Karthikeyan
On Monday, the Central government sought one more day to file a reply in plea challenging constitutional validity of the sedition charge under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code
Sedition is once again the subject of debate as the Supreme Court Court is hearing pleas challenging it. Read more
Editorial on anomalies in India’s justice system
04/05/2022
The Telegraph / by The Editorial board
In spite of the Supreme Court’s insistence on the right to bail, people are denied relief at the drop of a hat.
The prime minister’s eloquent appeal on behalf of under-trial prisoners could not entirely erase the memory of incarcerated activists in the so-called Bhima-Koregaon case, for example, or protesters against the new citizenship laws.
The prime minister got it right. At the joint conference of chief ministers and high court chief justices, in which the Chief Justice of India delivered a speech reportedly mentioning how governments contributed to the courts’ caseload, Narendra Modi mentioned the staggering figure of 3.5 lakh under-trial prisoners in his own speech. Read more
Pune Police Evade The Law By Dodging Questions On Use Of Pegasus Spyware On Indian Citizens
Pune Police Evade The Law By Dodging Questions On Use Of Israeli Spyware On Indian Citizens
03/04/2022
Artice 14 / by Saurav Das
Despite multiple right-to-information applications asking whether the Pune police purchased or used military-grade Pegasus spyware in the Bhima-Koregaon case, its information officer evaded an answer, refusing to admit the questions on technical grounds. Experts said the police replies were legally untenable and dismissive of a growing demand for greater transparency and accountability in India’s surveillance framework.
A Pune police refusal to reply to right-to-information (RTI) queries about the use of Israeli spyware Pegasus raise several questions about whether the military-grade hacking weapon was deployed in implicating lawyers, activists, and academics in the Bhima Koregaon-Elgar Parishad (BK-EP) case, which invokes India’s draconian counter-terrorism law, the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967. Read more
Media in India: Shackled and spied on
03/05/2022
The Leaflet / by Sukumar Muralidharan
Early in April, the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting [MIB] ordered 22 YouTube channels blocked, 18 based in India and four in Pakistan. Also blocked were four social media accounts and one news website. Later in the month, another 16 YouTube channels were blocked, ten in India and all others in the neighbouring State, alongside one Facebook account. Read more
The Indian working class was a proud participant in the anti-imperialist struggle against British rule in India. Whether it was the six-day strike of the working class of Mumbai in 1908 – one day for each year of the sentence of Bal Gangadhar Tilak; the attempts of the Ghadar Party organised by Punjabi immigrant workers in Canada, who sailed to India in 1914 to overthrow the British; the four-day old Solapur Commune of 1930, when the workers took over the city … Read more
Official versions of the meetings have made no reference to contentious issues.
Europe’s top human rights official says he raised a number of concerns during official meetings in New Delhi with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, including funding restrictions on NGOs, recent communal violence, the situation in Jammu & Kashmir, and the condition of religious minorities.
… While the EU did not respond to a specific question about the “individual” cases mentioned, sources said Mr. Gilmore, who had earlier issued a stern statement of concern after the death of Jesuit priest Stan Swamy in custody in July 2021, had also discussed the case during his meeting. Read more
Water, please: Ferreira says life in jail worse than animal existence
An accused in the Elgar Parishad case, Arun Ferreira, has moved a plea before the special NIA court seeking reasonable quantity of usable water in jail. Read more
Four accused move special NIA court seeking discharge application ahead of framing of charges
Four accused move special NIA court in Mumbai seeking discharge application
30/04/2022
The Leaflet / by Sabah Gurmat
After the youngest accused in the Bhima Koregaon (Elgar Parishad) case, Jyoti Jagtap of the Kabir Kala Manch [KKM] filed an application on Wednesday seeking discharge, more accused have approached the National Investigation Agency [NIA]’s special court seeking discharge from all the charges imposed against them in the 2018 case.
Among the other accused, scholar, writer and activist Anand Teltumbde, activist Mahesh Raut, and activist and publisher Sudhir Dhawale sought discharge from charges in the Bhima Koregaon violence case. Read more
Three accused seek discharge in Elgar Parishad case ahead of framing of charges
29/04/2022
India Today / by Vidya
Three more accused have filed discharge applications in the Elgar Parishad case ahead of the framing of charges.
Three more accused have filed applications seeking discharge ahead of the framing of charges against them in the Elgar Parishad case. Accused professor Anand Teltumbde, Dalit scholar Sudhir Dhawale and activist Mahesh Raut have filed the applications. The Special Court under the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act will now be hearing the four discharge applications, including that of Jyoti Jagtap. Read more
Activist Anand Teltumbde, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist link case, on Thursday moved a discharge application before the special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court here, stating that the probe agency has not produced any material to show that he is a member of CPI (Maoist) or his alleged role in the case.
… Besides Teltumbe, other accused Sudhir Dawale and Mahesh Raut also sought discharge from the case. Read more
Anand Teltumbde seeks discharge from Bhima Koregaon case, says no material to show he is linked to CPI (Maoist)
28/04/2022
Free Press Journal / by Staff Reporter
Regarding an allegation of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) that he is a member of the banned organization, he has pointed out that a witness cited by the NIA in its supplementary charge sheet had mentioned a book authored by him titled ‘Anti-Imperialism and Annihilation of Caste’.
Professor and Dalit scholar Anand Teltumbde accused in the Bhima-Koregaon case has sought a discharge from the case, stating in his plea that the investigating agency has not produced any material before the court to show that he is a member of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist). Read more
Jyoti Jagtap
Sagar Gorkhe
Ramesh Gaychor
One accused files discharge plea in special court, five more intend to do so today
28/04/2022
The Indian Express / by Express News Service
Special judge Dinesh E Kothalikar said the Bombay High Court has directed that the case be proceeded with on a daily basis and that he expects cooperation from both parties so that charges can be framed.
In the Elgaar Parishad case, accused Jyoti Jagtap filed a discharge application on Wednesday, while five others also sought to file discharge pleas on Thursday before the special court. The court had directed all accused to remain present before the court on Wednesday to proceed with framing of charges against them. Read more
One accused files discharge plea in special court, five more intend to do so today
28/04/2022
The Indian Express / by Express News Service
Special judge Dinesh E Kothalikar said the Bombay High Court has directed that the case be proceeded with on a daily basis and that he expects cooperation from both parties so that charges can be framed.
In the Elgaar Parishad case, accused Jyoti Jagtap filed a discharge application on Wednesday, while five others also sought to file discharge pleas on Thursday before the special court. The court had directed all accused to remain present before the court on Wednesday to proceed with framing of charges against them. Read more
Jyoti Jagtap files for discharge
27/04/2022
Hindustan Times / by Charul Shah
The Elgaar Parishad was an event held on December 31, 2017, in Pune’s Shaniwar Wada to commemorate the anniversary of the Battle of Koregaon Bhima. It had approximately 35,000 people in attendance.
Jyoti Jagtap, arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for her purported involvement in the Elgar Parishad case, on Wednesday filed for discharge citing a lack of evidence against her. Read more
Youngest accused Jyoti Jagtap moves Special Court for discharge
27/04/2022
Bar & Bench / by Neha Joshi
Jagtap was arrested on September 8, 2020 and a chargesheet was filed in October 9, 2020.
Kabir Kala Manch (KKM) member and youngest accused in the Bhima Koregaon case Jyoti Jagtap has filed an application before the Special Court seeking discharge from all charges in the 2018 case. Read more
Why Sharad Pawar is called to depose as witness before Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry?
28/04/2022
The Indian Express / by Chandan Haygunde
The commission had earlier summoned Pawar to depose as a witness on February 23 and February 24. But on February 21, he sought adjournment of his hearing as he wanted more time for filing an additional affidavit with detailed information and it was granted.
… After the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, including the NCP, came to power in the state, Pawar held a press conference on February 18, 2020, and made allegations against right-wing leaders Milind Ekbote, Sambhahi Bhide and raised doubts about the role of the Pune city police in the investigation of Elgaar Parishad case. Read more
Repeal Section 124A of IPC; UAPA provisions sufficent: Sharad Pawar to Bhima Koregaon Commission
28/04/2022
Bar & Bench / by Neha Joshi
Pawar also stated in his affidavit that responsible media can act as a bridge of communication between protesters and government/ police authorities and ease tensions and avoid misinformation.
Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which criminalises sedition, should be repealed because provisions under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) are sufficient to deal with offences against the nation and national security, the Member of Rajya Sabha and Chief of Nationalist Congress Party Sharad Pawar told Bhima Koregaon Inquiry Commission on Wednesday. Read more
Cop questioned about ‘provocative’ speech by Elgaar Parishad organiser in Aurangabad
27/04/2022
The Indian Express / by Chandan Haygunde
Dhawale is among the persons arrested by the Pune City Police for their alleged links with the banned CPI-Maoist in the Elgaar Parishad case. The case has been taken over by the NIA.
IPS officer Ravindra Sengaonkar, who earlier deposed as a witness before the Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry, was cross-examined on Tuesday on various points including an alleged provocative speech made by activist Sudhir Dhawale in Aurangabad, a week before the Elgaar Parishad. Read more
