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Police Linked to Hacking Campaign to Frame Indian Activists / Report links cop to hacking bid on Bhima accused

Police Linked to Hacking Campaign to Frame Indian Activists / Report links cop to hacking bid on Bhima accused


Cartoon by PenPencilDraw

Police Linked to Hacking Campaign to Frame Indian Activists

16/06/2022

Wired.com / by Andy Greenberg

New details connect police in India to a plot to plant evidence on victims’ computers that led to their arrest.
Police forces around the world have increasingly used hacking tools to identify and track protesters, expose political dissidents’ secrets, and turn activists’ computers and phones into inescapable eavesdropping bugs. Now, new clues in a case in India connect law enforcement to a hacking campaign that used those tools to go an appalling step further: planting false incriminating files on targets’ computers that the same police then used as grounds to arrest and jail them.
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by Andy Greenberg / @a_greenberg (June 16):
A wild, appalling story: A group of hackers fabricated evidence on the PCs of Indian human rights activists who were then arrested for terrorism and jailed. Now researchers have found a direct link between those hackers and the police making the arrests.
Read full thread

Fabricated evidence planted to implicate Elgaar activists, says US magazine

18/06/2022

The Telegraph / by Pheroze L. Vincent

Maharashtra govt and Centre have resisted the admission of the multiple revelations of hacking as evidence and consistently opposed bail in the case.
America’s Wired magazine has alleged links between Pune police and hackers who it says planted fabricated evidence on some of the accused in the Elgaar Parishad-Maoist links case, which witnessed the arrest of 16 activists, writers, academics and lawyers.
Earlier, two digital security firms in the US had revealed the planting of electronic evidence – claims that the prosecution has rejected, with the investigators ignoring calls to review the evidence.
Read more

Security Researchers Claim Link Between Pune Police And Hacking Campaign Against Bhima Koregaon Accused

16/06/2022

The Wire / by The Wire Staff

The recovery email id and phone number on accounts of Wilson, Rao and Babu were allegedly linked to a Pune police officer.
Security researchers in the United States have claimed that they unearthed new evidence that links the Pune police to the hacking of e-mail accounts of activists Rona Wilson and Varavara Rao and Delhi University professor Hany Babu. This is the first time that the state’s involvement has been directly established in the case.
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Report links cop to hacking bid on Bhima accused

16/06/2022

Hindustan Times / by HT Correspondent

There are links between a Pune police official and a hacking campaign that targeted suspects in the Bhima Koregaon case, a report by news website Wired said on Thursday, citing information from an unnamed whistleblower from a company that provided email services to the targets.
The report is the latest in a series of clues that bring into question the provenance of the evidence used in the Bhima Koregaon case, in which several activists have been accused of terrorism through their alleged links to the extremist Maoist rebellion.
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Pune Police allegedly planted fake evidence on devices of Bhima Koregaon accused, reports Wired

16/06/2022

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

The recovery email id and phone number on accounts of Rona Wilson, Varavara Rao and Hany Babu were linked to a police officer, a cybersecurity firm has claimed.
A US-based cybersecurity company has claimed that the Pune Police hacked electronic devices owned by activists Rona Wilson, Varavara Rao and Hany Babu and planted fake evidence on them, reported Wired magazine in the US.
Read more

Also read:
● The unravelling of a conspiracy: were the 16 charged with plotting to kill India’s prime minister framed? (The Guardian / Aug 2021)
● Explainer: Arsenal Report on Surendra Gadling (The Leaflet / July 2021)
● They were Accused of plotting to overthrow the Modi government – The evidence was planted, a new report says (Washington Post / Feb 2021)

Bhima Koregaon: Who’s who of those arrested and the developments in the case pertaining to each

Bhima Koregaon: Who’s who of those arrested and the developments in the case pertaining to each

The Leaflet / by Sarah Thanwala

In the Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon case, leading activists, lawyers, scholars and artists have been arrested without trial under the charges of the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (‘UAPA’). According to the police, allegedly provocative statements and speeches made at the Elgar Parishad meeting in Pune on December 31, 2017, instigated the violence at Bhima Koregaon the following day on January 1, 2018 that led to death of one and injuries to several others …

The Leaflet brings to its readers a brief profile of each of the arrested persons, and the developments in the case pertaining to each.
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Five Bhima Koregaon accused write open letter on four years of incarceration [read letter]

Five Bhima Koregaon accused write open letter on four years of incarceration [read letter]

click to enlarge posters

‘We are all prisoners of conscience’, say those facing trial in Bhima Koregaon case on the occasion of fourth anniversary of their arrests [read letter]

05/06/2022

The Leaflet / by The Leaflet

As they complete four years in prison, those accused of instigating violence wonder how much more time the judiciary will take to digest that all the evidence fabricated against them is fake.
In a poignant letter from the prisons where they have been languishing for the past four years, those facing trial in the Bhima Koregaon case, have asserted that their suffering is nothing in comparison to many other prisoners, who have spent years altogether with a smile on their face. “Looking at them gives us some a different kind of energy. [sic] Even in these inhuman places, they live with great optimism….”
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Read their letter in full here

Five Bhima Koregaon accused write open letter on four years of incarceration

05/06/2022

The Hindu / by Special Correspondent

Reiterate their commitment to fight for the underprivileged and downtrodden.
It has been four years since Prof Shoma Sen, advocate Surendra Gadling, activist Rona Wilson, Mahesh Raut and Sudhir Dhawale were arrested for the Bhima Koregaon-Elgar Parishad conference. They have written an open letter that they are still committed to take up the cudgels for the labourers, underprivileged and the downtrodden.
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siddhesh gautam (Jun 6):
Bhima Koregaon: four years of injustice, 2022
From 6th June 2018 to 6th June 2022, four years of imprisonment, four years of wrongful incrimination, four years of injustice and an eternity of separation and pain.

#FreeAllPoliticalPrisoners   #freebk16

Also watch/read:

VIDEO: THE BHIMA KOREGAON CONSPIRACY CASE – THREE YEARS TOO MANY …

06/06/2021

By Family and Friends of BK16

Three years ago, on 6 June 2018, the first arrests of human rights activists in the Bhima Koregaon Conspiracy Case occurred. Today, 16 of the finest citizens of India face trumped up charges in this fabricated case.
Join the Family Members and friends of BK16 on a webinar and Book Release.
Book Release by Bhanwar Meghvanshi, leading writer and Dalit Intellectual

hindi + en | 4h 30min | 2021
Watch video at PUCL fb

SALAAKHON MEIN QAID AVAAZEIN (IMPRISONED VOICES)

06/06/2021

By Family Members and friends of BK16

“Salaakhon Mein Qaid Avaazein”
Edition: June 2021
Language: Hindi
Paperback: 69 pages
Access a PDF copy of the book here (15MB)

Bombay High Court rejects default bail plea of Varavara Rao and seven other accused

Bombay High Court rejects default bail plea of Varavara Rao and seven other accused

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.
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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.
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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.
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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

Also read:
● Eight Accused Approach HC, Say Denial of Default Bail Based on ‘Factual Error’ (The Wire / Dec 2021)
● ‘Had Sought Default Bail Like Sudha Bharadwaj’: 8 Bhima-Koregaon Accused Approach Bombay HC Claiming ‘Factual Error’ In Judgment (Live Law / Dec 2021)

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 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.
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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

Also read:
● Leaked Data Shows Surveillance Net in Elgar Parishad Case May Have Crossed a Line (The Wire / July 2021)

Charges to be framed next week, all accused asked to remain present in court

Charges to be framed next week, all accused asked to remain present in court

The Indian Express / by Sadaf Modak

The NIA had submitted draft charges in August last year based on which the court will decide on the charges to be framed against the accused.
The special court hearing the Elgaar Parishad case on Tuesday directed both the accused and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to take steps to proceed with the case and asked all accused to remain present for the hearing next week, on April 27, for framing of charges.
Read more

Also read
● Cyber Attackers Who Targeted Rona Wilson Could Have Been Engaged by Same Entity: Report (The Wire / Feb 2022)
● Accused in the Bhima Koregaon – Elgar Parishad case have approached the Bombay High Court to stay till clone copies of electronic evidence is provided (Live Law / Aug 2021)
● NIA files draft charges against accused in Elgar Parishad case (India Today / Aug 2021)

Jadhav of Bombay HC, the third judge to recuse from hearing petitions in the case this year

Jadhav of Bombay HC, the third judge to recuse from hearing petitions in the case this year

Justice Sadhana Jadhav Of Bombay High Court, The Third Judge To Recuse From Hearing Petitions In Bhima Koregaon Case This Year

19/04/2022

Live Law / Sharmeen Hakim

A third judge of the Bombay High Court, Justice Sadhana Jadhav, recused from hearing a clutch of petitions in the Bhima Koregaon – Elgar Parishad case this year, including two petitions alleging the planting of electronic evidence through malware.
Justice Jadhav said no Elgar Parishad matters to be placed before her. the judge had earlier recused from hearing BK matters in 2019 and 2020, as well.
Read more

Justice Sadhana Jadhav recuses herself from hearing pleas in Bhima Koregaon case

19/04/2022

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

She is the third Bombay High Court judge to withdraw from hearing petitions in the caste violence case this year.
Justice Sadhana Jadhav of the Bombay High Court on Tuesday recused herself from hearing petitions filed in the Bhima Koregaon case, Live Law reported. Jadhav is the third Bombay High Court judge to withdraw from the hearing the petitions related to the case this year.
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Justice Jadhav recuses from Bhima Koregaon cases, third Bombay HC judge to recuse

19/04/2022

Bar & Bench / by Neha Joshi

Earlier, Justices PB Varale and SS Shinde had also recused from the matter.
A third Bench of the Bombay High Court led by Justice Sadhana S Jadhav on Tuesday recused from hearing a clutch of petitions filed in the Bhima Koregaon case of 2018.
Justice Jadhav is the third judge to recuse from the case. Earlier, Justices PB Varale and SS Shinde had also recused from the matter.
Read more

Also read
● Judge recuses from Elgar Parishad cases, new bench to hear pleas (India Today / Feb 2022)

The Security Playbook Used To Erode Democracy In Modi’s India & How The Tide Might Turn

The Security Playbook Used To Erode Democracy In Modi’s India & How The Tide Might Turn

article 14 / by Shamik Bag

By using security laws, deploying surveillance technology, and leveraging potent national interest narratives, Narendra Modi’s Hindu-first government has targeted critics and eroded the rule of law in India—often in violation of the Constitution, using legal loopholes and grey areas. Through the lens of the notorious Bhima Koregaon case, we investigate these tactics in-depth, and report how citizens are fighting to preserve the world’s largest democracy.
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After Two Justices Recuse From Hearing Case, Chief Justice Agrees To Constitute New Bench

After Two Justices Recuse From Hearing Case, Chief Justice Agrees To Constitute New Bench

After Justices PB Varale And SS Shinde Recuse From Hearing Bhima Koregaon Case, Chief Justice Agrees To Constitute New Bench

25/02/2022

Live Law / by Sharmeen Hakim

After two judges recused themselves from hearing petitions arising out of the Bhima Koregaon – Elgar Parishad Case, Chief Justice Dipankar Datta of the Bombay high Court said a third bench would be constituted to hear the cases at the earliest.
After Justice PB Varale’s bench, that has the criminal assignment, recused from hearing matters earlier this month, the alternate bench of Justice SS Shinde also recused from taking up petitions connected to the case.
Justice Shinde, however, will hear the interim application filed by Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Ferreira and Varavara Rao seeking bail and factual corrections in his order refusing them default bail.
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Judge recuses from Elgar Parishad cases, new bench to hear pleas

25/02/2022

India Today / by Vidya

The new Bench, comprising Justice SB Shukre and AB Borkar, will hear all pleas related to the Elgar Parishad from here on.
Anew Bench of the Bombay High Court will now hear all the pleas related to the Elgar Parishad case after a judge recused himself from the case in which several arrests have been made since 2018.
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Jusitce SS Shinde of Bombay High Court Recuses hearing Bhima Koregaon cases

24/02/2022

Bar & Bench / by Neha Joshi

Sources told Bar & Bench that Justice Shinde will continue hearing the plea filed by three accused in the case seeking review of his own judgment refusing them default bail; however, he has recused from other cases.
Justice Shinde will be releasing a circular/notification to that effect shortly, sources have told Bar and Bench.
After such circular/notification is issued, the respective lawyers representing the 15 accused in the case, will have to move the Chief Justice of the High Court on administrative side to get a new Bench constituted for hearing the petitions arising from the 2018 case.
Read more

‘Speeches were very provocative’: Police officer about the Elgar Parishad

‘Speeches were very provocative’: Police officer about the Elgar Parishad

Rediff.com / by Jyoti Punwani

The senior police officer, who deposed in such detail about the Elgar Parishad, however, claimed to know nothing about the opposition to it from organisations such as Milind Ekbote’s Samastha Hindu Aghadi as well as Pune’s then mayor Mukta Tilak.
The speeches made by Umar Khalid, Jignesh Mewani, Prashant Dhontha and Sudhir Dhawale at the Elgar Parishad were provocative, but the pledge administered at the end of the Parishad to the audience, to ‘protect the Constitution and never vote for opponents of the Constitution, the RSS and BJP’, was not objectionable.
Read more

Also read:
● Bhima Koregaon: Is Milind Ekbote Being Protected? (Rediff.com / Feb 2022)
● Let’s Remember the Lesson of Bhima Koregaon: Down with the New Peshwai (Sanhati│by Sudhir Dhawale│March 2018)