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Taloja jail says new spectacles given to Navlakha; govt to probe / Making a spectacle

Taloja jail says new spectacles given to Navlakha; govt to probe / Making a spectacle


Drawing by Arun Ferreira

Taloja jail says new spectacles given to Navlakha; govt to probe

11/12/2020

The Indian Express / by Sadaf Modak

Navlakha (69), who was arrested by the NIA, had told his partner Sahba Husain that his spectacles were stolen in the jail.
Taloja Central Jail authorities said a new pair of spectacles has been made and handed over to activist Gautam Navlakha, lodged in the prison in connection to the Elgaar Parishad case, on Thursday.
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Making a spectacle

11/12/2020

The Indian Express / by Indian Express Editorial

Bombay HC is right to underline the need for dignity for undertrials. Speedy justice must also be made a priority.
The weeks that it took for a straw and a sipper to reach an 83-year-old tribal rights activist afflicted with Parkinson’s; the time it took for authorities in a Mumbai jail to turn away a pair of spectacles meant for a civil rights activist — both, among many other instances, are a measure of the gap between human dignity and the justice system.
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From Segregation to Labour, Manu’s Caste Law Governs the Indian Prison System

10/12/2020

The Wire / by Sukanya Shantha

In several states, prison manuals still dictate that labour within the prison should be assigned on the basis of caste.
On his first day at the Alwar district prison, Ajay Kumar* was gearing up for the worst. Torture, stale food, biting cold and harsh labour – Bollywood had already acquainted him with the grisly realities of jails. “Gunah batao (Tell me your crime),” a police constable, placed at the undertrial (UT) section, asked him as soon as he was escorted inside a tall iron gateway.
Ajay had barely mumbled something, when the constable snapped, “Kaun jaati (Which caste)?” Unsure, Ajay paused and then hesitantly said, “Rajak”.
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After jail refuses to give Gautam Navlakha his glasses, Maharashtra orders inquiry

After jail refuses to give Gautam Navlakha his glasses, Maharashtra orders inquiry

After jail refuses to give activist Gautam Navlakha his glasses, Maharashtra orders inquiry

10/12/2020

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said the that the situation should have been handled humanly.
Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Thursday ordered an inquiry into Taloja Jail authorities’ refusal to accept a package containing activist Gautam Navlakha’s spectacles. The 70-year-old civil rights campaigner is an accused in the Bhima Koregaon case.
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Taloja Jail to Gautam Navlakha’s partner Sahba Husain: Resend glasses, we will accept it this time

08/12/2020

Free Press Journal / by Bhavna Uchil & Narsi Benwal

Authorities at the Taloja jail have asked civil liberties activist Gautam Navlakha’s partner Sahba Husain to resend the new pair of spectacles she had sent for him, which they had refused to accept earlier, assuring her they would accept it this time.
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After Stan Swamy struggled for his sipper, jailed Gautam Navlakha can’t get his spectacles

07/12/2020

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

Navlakha’s partner said he ‘is close to blind without his glasses’, but jail authorities have refused to accept a parcel containing new spectacles.
The Taloja Jail authorities in Mumbai have refused to accept a parcel containing the spectacles of civil rights campaigner Gautam Navlakha, his partner Sabha Hussain said in a statement shared on Monday.
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Taloja Jail Authorities Deny Newly Made Spectacles to Gautam Navlakha

07/12/2020

The Wire / by The Wire Staff

Navlakha was arrested in April for his alleged connection with the Bhima Koregaon case.
Gautam Navlakha, nearly 70, patient of several ailments, had his spectacles stolen on November 27. Close to blind without his glasses, he was not even permitted to call his home for a replacement until three days later, but even that call proved futile.
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To Why Stan Swamy, 83, Couldn’t Get A Straw, Probe Agency’s 10-Point Reply

To Why Stan Swamy, 83, Couldn’t Get A Straw, Probe Agency’s 10-Point Reply

To Why Stan Swamy, 83, Couldn’t Get A Straw, Probe Agency’s 10-Point Reply

30/11/2020

NDTV / by Neeta Sharma

Father Stan Swamy, the 83-year-old tribal rights activist who suffers from Parkinson’s disease and was arrested last month over his alleged involvement in the Bhima-Koregaon case, couldn’t get a straw and sipper for around four weeks because the National Investigation Agency (NIA) didn’t have them, the agency has said.
In a 473-word news release divided into 10 points, the agency on Sunday said it never confiscated Mr Swamy’s straw and sipper during his arrest nearly two months ago. “NIA had conducted his personal search in presence of independent witnesses and no such straw and sipper were found,” it said.
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How the legal process played football with Parkinson’s patient Stan Swamy’s sipper & straw

30/11/2020

The Print / by Bhadra Sinha & Poojarsi Ganesan

A special NIA court has rejected Jesuit priest and Parkinson’s patient Stan Swamy’s request for a sipper & straw after giving probe agency 20 days to respond.
Is an inmate required to wait for a month to get basic articles, such as a sipper and straw for a Parkinson’s patient?
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From sippers and sweaters to mail and mulaqats, how prisoners are being kept waiting for basics

From sippers and sweaters to mail and mulaqats, how prisoners are being kept waiting for basics

From sippers and sweaters to mail and mulaqats, how prisoners are being kept waiting for basics

29/11/2020

Times of India / Himanshi Dhawan

Letters from wife? Rejected. Sipper for Parkinson’s patient? Court hearing awaited. Warm clothes to deal with the capital’s chilly temperatures? Allowed but after a long wait.
Many a political prisoner in Maharashtra and Delhi has been struggling for access to basic necessities these last few month.
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Stan Swamy gets a sipper, finally

29/11/2020

Mumbai Mirror / by Shruti Ganapatye

The ‘inhumane’ treatment meted out to the 83-year-old Parkinson’s patient by the NIA and Taloja jail authorities had drawn a lot of flak from citizens.
Almost 50 days after his arrest, 83-year-old tribal rights activist Stan Swamy , who suffers from Parkinson’s disease, was provided a sipper by the Taloja Jail authorities.
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Stan Swamy, 83, waits as the buck is passed on his sipper and straw

Stan Swamy, 83, waits as the buck is passed on his sipper and straw

The Indian Express / by Sadaf Modak

The Maharashtra government and authorities in Mumbai’s Taloja central jail say Swamy, who is suffering from Parkinson’s disease, has been provided with all basic facilities, including a straw and sipper cup, since he was taken to the hospital ward within weeks of his arrival in prison.
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Govt Too Is Responsible for Rao’s Failing Health / Rao’s Treatment Raises Questions

Govt Too Is Responsible for Rao’s Failing Health / Rao’s Treatment Raises Questions


Drawing by Arun Ferreira

Not Just NIA, Maharashtra Govt Too Is Responsible for Varavara Rao’s Failing Health

21/11/2020

The Wire / by Sukanya Shantha

While the state government has spoken against the wrongful arrests of activists in the Elgar Parishad case, it did very little to provide timely medical care.
Telugu poet, writer and activist Varavara Rao was 78 years old when the Pune police arrested him in August 2018. At the time of his arrest, Rao was already suffering from several age-related health issues. His prolonged incarceration, coupled with the lack of medical care in prison and the sudden outbreak of COVID-19, has exacerbated his condition even further.
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Podcast: Why Varavara Rao’s Treatment Raises Questions on Civil Liberties

21/11/2020

The Quint / by Mghna Prakash

At a time of a pandemic are states acting responsibly with prisoners?
The Bombay High Court finally allowed 80-year-old Varavara Rao to be shifted from Taloja Jail to Nanavati Hospital for 15 days for medical treatment on 18 November… But why did it take so much active intervention in order for Rao to be treated and transferred to Nanavati Hospital? At a time of a pandemic are states acting responsibly with prisoners?
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Arnab Goswami and Varavara Rao, Unequal Citizens Before the Law

21/11/2020

The Wire / by N Venugopal Rao

While Goswami could move three levels of courts in quick succession within a week to secure his release, Rao has languished in jail in a fabricated case for two years, without trial and without bail.
Article 14 of the Indian constitution that “we, the people of India” conferred upon ourselves proclaims that “the state shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India.”
But it seems this proviso is only a lofty goal enshrined in the statute, to be adhered to selectively.
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Article 32: Rights for All or For a Favoured Few?

21/11/2020

The Wire / by M Sridhar Acharyulu

Arnab Goswami’s case seems to have been an exceptional one where the SC felt it needed to intervene. It felt no such compunction in the case of Varavara Rao and countless others.
When the law becomes a weapon of oppression rather than an equalising force, democracy is in danger. Article 32 deals with the ‘Right to Constitutional Remedies’, and affirms the right of an individual to move the Supreme Court (SC) by appropriate proceedings for the enforcement of the rights conferred in Part III of the constitution.
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Stan Swamy’s message and letter from Taloja prison

Stan Swamy’s message and letter from Taloja prison

By Fr. Stan Swamy SJ

“Dear friends,
Thank you so much for the solidarity support by so many, for me and my co-accused. I am really grateful.
The Prison administration provides breakfast, tea, milk, lunch and dinner. Any additional edibles are to be purchased from the prison canteen, twice a month. Also, newspapers, toiletries, stationary and other essentials can be purchased through the prison canteen.
My needs are limited. The Adivasis and the Society of Jesus have taught me to lead a simple life. bI had brought with me a “sipper-tumbler”, to drink tea and water. However, the same was disallowed at the prison gate, on entry on 9 October.
Now, I am using a baby-sipper mug, which I purchased through the prison hospital. I have communicated this need to our lawyers. I am still awaiting to receive the sipper-tumbler.
Varavara Rao is very sick. Kindly, pray for him. Listening to the life-narratives of the poor prisoners is my joy in Taloja. I see God in their pains and smiles.”
Fr. Stan Swamy SJ

Jailed Jesuit seeks prayers for seriously ill co-prisoner

20/11/2020

Matters India / by Matters India Reporter

Mumbai: Father Stan Swamy, who is in a Mumbai jail for more than one month, has sought prayers for a fellow prisoner who has become seriously ill.
“Varavara Rao is very sick. Kindly, pray for him,” the octogenarian Jesuit told confrere over phone…
Jesuit Father Arockiasamy Santhanam, secretary of the National Lawyers Forum of Religious and Priests, says they expected the prison authorities would give Father Swamy the sipper tumbler after P Chidambaram, a senior politician tweeted about his need. “He not received the same, at least till yesterday,” he told Matters India November 19.
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Also read: ‘Humanity is bubbling in Taloja prison,’ Stan Swamy says in letter to friends (Nov 15)

PUDR: Case a conspiracy to undermine Varavara Rao’s right to life / Access to Healthcare in Prison

PUDR: Case a conspiracy to undermine Varavara Rao’s right to life / Access to Healthcare in Prison

Elgar Parishad case a conspiracy to undermine Varavara Rao’s right to life, says rights group

19/11/2020

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

The Peoples Union of Democratic Rights (PUDR) pointed out that Rao has still not been granted bail, but was only allowed the right to proper medical care.
The Peoples Union of Democratic Rights on Thursday demanded the immediate release of Telugu poet and activist Varavara Rao, who was arrested two years ago in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case. The group said the Centre’s ongoing inquiry into the Elgar Parishad conclave of 2017 was a conspiracy that has sought to undermine the 80-year-old’s right to life and was “taking away his human right to dignity”.
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Why did Varavara Rao Petition Courts for Access to Basic Healthcare in Prison?

19/11/2020

The Leaflet / by Megha Katheria

While state apathy and inefficiency may cost Varavara Rao his life, his shifting to Nanavati Hospital does little to assure that no other prisoner will meet the same fate in the future.
THE Bombay High Court has ordered the Maharashtra Government to shift the 81-year-old poet and activist Varavara Rao to Nanavati Hospital for treatment. The state has also been warned against shifting him out of Nanavati without informing the court. This comes at the end of a long legal battle fought by P Hemalatha, Rao’s wife, spanning over three months only to secure basic treatment for him as he is seriously ailing.
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NPRD seeks NHRC Intervention on Stan Swamy

NPRD seeks NHRC Intervention on Stan Swamy

By National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD)

Press Release
Nov 17, 2020
The National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD) has petitioned the National Human Rights Commission seeking its intervention to provide reasonable accommodations to Fr. Stan Swamy, who is lodged in the Taloja Jail, Maharashtra.
83-year old Stan Swamy is a person living with Parkinson’s, which is a condition recognised as disabling as per the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. As per various laws and conventions to which India is a signatory, it is obligatory that Stan Swamy be provided with requisite age & disability appropriate accommodations, assistive aids including straws and sippers as also human care assistance as required.
The full text of the letter addressed to the NHRC Chairman yesterday is being released herewith.

(Muralidharan)
General Secretary, NPRD
…

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