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Tag: Stan Swamy

UAPA should not remain in this form: Former SC judges flag misuse of anti-terrorism laws

UAPA should not remain in this form: Former SC judges flag misuse of anti-terrorism laws

The Definition of “Terrorist Act” in UAPA Is So Vague That It Is Susceptible To Misuse: Justice Anjana Prakash

26/07/2021

Live Law / by Mehal Jain

Former Patna High Court judge Anjana Prakash on Saturday asserted that while the anti-terror and national security laws are to be used towards the sovereignty and protection of the State, in India, they are being employed for the sovereignty and protection of a political party.
The Supreme Court Senior Advocate was speaking at a webinar by CJAR- “Discussion On DEMOCRACY, DISSENT AND DRACONIAN LAW- Should UAPA & Sedition Have A Place In Our Statute Books?”
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UAPA should not remain in this form: Former SC judges flag misuse of anti-terrorism laws

25/07/2021

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

FormerSupreme Court judges Aftab Alam, Madan B Lokur, Gopala Gowda and Deepak Gupta on Saturday raised concerns on the misuse of anti-terrorism laws in India, reported The Hindu.
Justice Gupta said the courts should intervene and lay down guidelines on the use of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. “The UAPA should not remain in this form,” he said. Gupta was speaking at a virtual conference on “Democracy Dissent and Draconian Laws – do UAPA and sedition have a place in our statute books”, organised by the Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms.
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It’s Time for the Government To Redeem Itself and Repeal the UAPA

25/07/2021

The Wire / by Anjana Prakash

The UAPA over the years has degenerated into a lethal weapon to quell dissent, and has been used by successive governments to legitimise sinister motives.
Whether the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) fits in with India’s constitutional framework, the international covenants it has signed, its adversarial system of trial, and whether the Supreme Court correctly decided the legality of the law’s bail pre-conditions – which are so irksome and a source of abuse – are questions that need urgent answers. Though the statute was brought in with an objective contrary to what we see today, the UAPA over the years has degenerated into a lethal weapon to quell dissent, and has been used by successive governments to legitimise sinister motives under the clichéd “procedure established by law”.
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In UAPA Cases The Process Itself The Punishment, It Stares Us In The Face In The Death Of Father Stan Swamy Without Trial: Justice Aftab Alam

25/07/2021

Live Law / by Mehal Jain

“Where has this draconian law in the world’s largest democracy taken us? The results are all there for everyone to see. It stares us in the face in the death of Father Stan Swamy without a trial”
“The UAPA shows we are willing to rob our people of freedom far more than any other country without any accountability!”, commented Justice Aftab Alam on Saturday.
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The 16 activists arrested in relation to the Bhima Koregaon case are victims of witch-hunt

The 16 activists arrested in relation to the Bhima Koregaon case are victims of witch-hunt

Frontline / by Anupama Katakam

The arrests and incarceration of 16 activists, known as the BK-16, on specious charges relating to the Bhima Koregaon violence case is part of the Central government’s systematic and methodical targeting of people who dissent and fight against oppression and for the causes of sections of society that a majoritarian government has no space for …
A look at the profile of each victim clearly indicates why the current regime feels threatened by their work.
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Protest to seek justice for Stan Swamy / Remembering the revolutionary who challenged everything

Protest to seek justice for Stan Swamy / Remembering the revolutionary who challenged everything

Ranchi, July 23

Pan India agitations protesting ‘institutional murder’ of Fr Stan

24/07/2021

The Telegraph / by Animesh Bisoee

The protests are part of a series of public observances called by rights groups, trade unions, Christian organisations, Left parties and their student and youth wings
Human rights activists, civil society groups, mass organisations and trade union members staged agitations in Jharkhand, Delhi and other parts of the country on Friday in protest against the “institutional murder” of Father Stan Swamy.
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Delhi, July 23

Kolkata, July 23

In Jharkhand, Stan Swamy’s Friends and Colleagues Vow to Keep His Fight Alive

22/07/2021

The Wire / by Santosh K. Kiro

A fortnight after tribal rights activist Father Stan Swamy’s death, his friends and those he worked were are still in mourning – and also determined to take forward his work.
On July 18, Swamy’s name was engraved on a stone in Bagaicha, the centre he had developed in Ranchi two decades ago to fight for the tribal cause. Every other day, different tribal communities from across Jharkhand are arranging meetings to pay tribute to the activist.
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OPEN NATIONAL CALL: DEFEND RIGHT TO DISSENT

July 2021

Issued by several organizations across the country

Join National Action to Defend Democracy:
Defend Right to Dissent,
Repeal Sedition Law,
UAPA and Repressive State Laws,
Restore Right to Bail

Dear Friends,
The Institutional murder of the 84-year-old Jesuit priest Father Stan Swamy in judicial custody on 5th July 2021 has brought home to all of us the urgency of the need to take up the defence of democracy against repressive laws.
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Remembering Stan Swamy, the revolutionary who challenged everything – including the Church

21/07/2021

Scroll.in / by Jyoti Bahen Urumpil, The India Forum

He was a fiery, ruthless messiah for the oppressed and exploited.
Stan Swamy’s mortal remains have been placed reverently with proper dedication. We all know that his spirit and commitment will live forever in the whole world. Swamy was gifted with a good intellect and a warm, tender heart that could almost burst out of anger for justice.
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Judicial inquiry into Stan Swamy’s death yet to be initiated: State in Bombay HC

Judicial inquiry into Stan Swamy’s death yet to be initiated: State in Bombay HC

+++ The Court posted the case for further hearing on August 4, 2021 +++

Judicial inquiry into Stan Swamy’s death yet to be initiated: State in Bombay HC

23/07/2021

The Indian Express / by Sadaf Modak

Oral comments made on Swamy, withdrawn by the court after ASG submitted they were ‘twisted’ on social media and by the press.
The Maharashtra government informed the Bombay High Court on Friday that a judicial magisterial inquiry into the death of Father Stan Swamy is yet to be initiated.
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Bombay High Court Withdraws Oral Praise For Late Father Stan Swamy After NIA Objection

23/07/2021

Live Law / by Sharmeen Hakim

The Bombay High Court on Friday withdrew its oral statements in praise of late tribal rights activist -Father Stan Swamy and his work – after the National Investigation Agency raised objections during his bail hearing posthumously.
Justice SS Shinde, however, said that even judges are human beings and the news of Father Swamy’s death on July 5 was sudden. Moreover, the court had added a rider that it wasn’t making any comment on Father Swamy’s incarceration or arrest under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
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Webinar: Human Rights Defenders in India: Stories from the Trenches

Webinar: Human Rights Defenders in India: Stories from the Trenches

By International Solidarity for Academic Freedom in India (InSAF India)

Saturday, 31 July 2021
7 pm (IST)
Register here

We mourn the institutional murder of Father Stan Swamy that has fully exposed to the world the machinations of Indian state agencies and a compromised judiciary.

Dear friends,
As a growing number of human rights defenders are being incarcerated using charges of sedition, terrorism and anti-national activities, other in the movements and causes they have stood for and struggled with through constitutional means, now, in turn, are fighting for their release. It is clear the state is determined to silence these activists by any means necessary, framing them in false cases and denying them bail repeatedly.
– Why was Father Stan and his centre in Ranchi, Jharkhand (Bagaicha) such a threat to the state?
– How are corporations/commercial interests complicit with the state in trying to suppress the movements of such grassroots organizations and eliminate these activists?
– How does the Indian legal system enable those in power to rule by law instead of governing under a rule of law?
Through this webinar we hope to shine a light on how grassroots organizations and activists have stood up to the carceral state and its allied interests, and what support the international community can provide.
…

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How many years can an undertrial languish in jail without trial? HC asks NIA on Bhima-Koregaon Case

How many years can an undertrial languish in jail without trial? HC asks NIA on Bhima-Koregaon Case

How many years can an undertrial languish in jail without trial? Bombay High Court asks NIA on Bhima-Koregaon Violence

19/06/2021

Free Press Journal / by Narsi Benwal

HC says it has too much of respect for Stan Swamy and his work, irrespective of the legal position.
The Bombay High Court bench of Justices Sambhaji Shinde and Nizamoodin Jamadar on Monday asked the National Investigations Agency (NIA) as to for how many years could an undertrial be languishing in jail without trial. The bench was referring to the fact that several rights activists, some of them senior citizens, arrested in the Bhima-Koregaon violence case, have been in prison without charges being framed against them, since last three years.
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We Have Respect For Father Stan Swamy’s Work: Bombay High Court

19/06/2021

Live Law / by Sharmeen Hakim

Justice SS Shinde of the Bombay High Court on Monday said late tribal rights activist and priest – Stan Swamy’s – graceful funeral service after his demise on July 5 2021, had touched him.
“I was informed about the timing of the funeral service. Such a wonderful person. The kind of services he has rendered to the society. We have respect for his work. Legally, whatever is there against him is a different matter…We normally don’t get time for TV, but we saw this funeral, and it was very graceful.”
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You will argue and leave, but we have to answer: Bombay HC to NIA during bail hearing of late Father Stan Swamy

19/06/2021

Bar & Bench / by Neha Joshi

“For how many years without trial can people be asked to languish in jails? Speedy trial is a fundamental right,” the Court said.
The Bombay High Court on Monday lamented at the inordinate delay in concluding trials resulting in accused languishing in jails as undertrial prisoners.
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Sudha Bharadwaj, Fr Stan not Maoists: Deccan Herald told to remove ‘malicious’ ad

Sudha Bharadwaj, Fr Stan not Maoists: Deccan Herald told to remove ‘malicious’ ad

‘Sudha Bharadwaj, Fr Stan not Maoists’: Deccan Herald told to remove ‘malicious’ ad

16/07/2021

Counterview / by Counterview Desk

In a joint letter, more than 100 civil society groups and citizens* have demanded that from the daily “Deccan Herald” editor Sitaraman Shankar and owners to withdraw and apologise for publishing the visual connect advertisement in its Bengaluru edition on July 15, stating, it is meant to “vilify” human rights activists Sudha Bhardwaj the late Fr Stan Swamy.
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Making a game of a person’s death: Deccan Herald apologises after outrage over Stan Swamy ‘quiz’

16/07/2021

The Print / by Angana Chakrabarti

A group of activists and civil society members hit out at the English language daily Deccan Herald over a ‘prize-winning quiz’ that appeared in the newspaper’s Thursday edition.
The quiz, part of the ‘DH Visual Connect’ contest, which appears in the newspaper every day, drew “connection” between three pictures — the Bhima Koregaon victory pillar, activist Sudha Bharadwaj, and a Communist flag bearing the hammer and sickle.
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Jharkhand CM Pays Tributes To Stan Swamy / Death in custody of Stan Swamy is devastating: UN

Jharkhand CM Pays Tributes To Stan Swamy / Death in custody of Stan Swamy is devastating: UN


Surrey (Canada), July 2021

Stan Swamy’s Death Will Forever Remain a Stain on India’s Human Rights Record: UN Expert

15/07/2021

The Wire / by The Wire Staff

Swamy’s case should remind all states that human rights defenders and all those detained without sufficient legal basis, should be released, said Mary Lawlor, UN special rapporteur on human rights defenders.
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India: Death in custody of priest Stan Swamy is devastating – UN expert (Press Release)

15/07/2021

United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders / by Mary Lawlor

The death in custody of Catholic priest Stan Swamy, a renowned human rights and social justice advocate for over four decades, will forever remain a stain on India’s human rights record, a UN human rights expert said today.
I was devastated to hear that Father Stan, a Jesuit priest who had dedicated much of his life to defending the rights of indigenous peoples and the Adivasi minority, died in custody on July 5, despite many requests for his release as his health deteriorated in prison,” she said.
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Stan Swamy’s death: Left parties stage protest outside Raj Bhavan in Ranchi

15/07/2021

ANI / by ANI

Over a week since Stan Swamy passed away in judicial custody in a Mumbai hospital after being denied bail, Left parties and other organsisations on Thursday staged a protest and sat in dharna outside Raj Bhavan here in Ranchi demanding a judicial probe into the death of the rights activist as well as the release of all political prionsers.
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Jharkhand Chief Minister Pays Tributes To Stan Swamy In Memorial Service

15/07/2021

NDTV / by PTI

Jharkhand has never lagged behind when it comes to making sacrifices be it tribal icon Birsa Munda or Father Stan Swamy and they will be remembered for their invaluable contribution to the society, Chief Minister Hemant Soren said on Thursday.
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BK16: Why Is The Judiciary Still Sleeping? / Demise of Father Stan Swamy Marks Death of India’s Conscience

BK16: Why Is The Judiciary Still Sleeping? / Demise of Father Stan Swamy Marks Death of India’s Conscience

BK16: Why Is The Judiciary Still Sleeping?

15/07/2021

Countercurrents / by Sangeeta Kamat

The Bhima Koregaon15 spending a single additional night in jail is a travesty of justice.
The third report by Arsenal on evidence planting became public on July 6, with even more damning evidence corroborating the first two reports in February and April that confirmed extensive evidence planting on Rona Wilson’s hard drive, the first of the arrestees in the BK16 case. The third report meticulously documents transcripts of the malware and external activity on co-defendant Surendra Gadling’s hard drive from 2016 onward by the same attacker! Should not the Indian judiciary take account of the Arsenal reports to declare a fresh line of investigation into the so-called Bhima Koregaon case and release the 15 immediately?
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Demise of Father Stan Swamy Marks Death of India’s Conscience

15/07/2021

The Leaflet / by Aninda Dey

There was hardly a whimper in response to the sudden arrest of Father Stan Swamy on unproven charges of links to Maoists and sparking violence at Bhima Koregaon. His months-long incarceration under the UAPA, inhuman treatment, and tragic death is a dangerous trend that we Indians cannot ignore, for anybody could be next, writes Aninda Dey.
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Also read:
►Evidence found on a second Indian activist’s computer was planted, report says (Washington Post, July 6, 2021)
► Surendra Gadling’s Computer Was Attacked, Incriminating Documents Planted: Arsenal Consulting (The Wire, July 6, 2021)

Bombay HC directs NIA, prison authorities to examine Stan Swamy’s medical reports

Bombay HC directs NIA, prison authorities to examine Stan Swamy’s medical reports


Bangalore, July 14

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

Swamy’s lawyer has blamed the central agency and Taloja Jail authorities for the activist’s death.
The Bombay High Court on Tuesday directed the National Investigation Agency and the Maharashtra prison department to examine the medical reports of tribal rights activist Stan Swamy, who died on July 5, reported the Hindustan Times.
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