Stan Swamy – Page 23 – free them all

Can neither walk, write nor eat. Talojia jail has brought me to this situation: Fr Stan Swamy tells HC

21/05/2021 Rani

Can neither walk, write nor eat. Talojia jail has brought me to this situation: Fr Stan Swamy tells HC

21/05/2021

The Leaflet / by Gahena Gambani

The Bombay High Court Friday ordered the Taloja Jail authorities to follow the recommendations made by JJ hospital about the treatment and the facilities to be provided to octogenarian Father Stan Swamy, an accused in the Bhima Koregaon case.
A vacation bench comprising Justices SJ Kathawalla and Surendra passed the order while hearing a bail application by Stan Swamy on medical grounds.
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I Would Rather Suffer, Possibly Die Very Shortly If This Were To Go On: Stan Swamy Pleads For Interim Bail In Bombay HC

21/05/2021

Live Law / by Sharmeen Hakim

“Only one thing that I would request the judiciary is to consider for interim bail. That is the only request”, he said.
Father Stan Swamy, an 84-year-old tribal rights activist, who is an undertrial in in the Bhima Koregaon- Elgar Parishad case, pleaded with the Bombay High Court to grant him interim bail to go back to his home in Ranchi.
He told a division bench led by Justice SJ Kathawalla that his health has progressively deteriorated in the eight months he has spent a Taloja Prison. Adding that being in Taloja has brought him to a situation where he can neither eat, write, bathe or go for a walk by himself.
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Bombay HC Says Committee of Doctors Required to Examine Stan Swamy / Sets up video call with Swamy on May 21

19/05/2021 Rani

Bombay HC Says Committee of Doctors Required to Examine Stan Swamy

19/05/2021

The Wire / by Sukanya Shantha

Taloja jail, like most other prisons in the state, lacks proper medical facilities. Over 3,500 prisoners here are handled by three Ayurvedic doctors.
A day after Father Stan Swamy was taken to Taloja Central prison from JJ hospital, the Bombay high court has directed the prison authorities to make arrangements to send him back to the hospital. The division bench of Justices S.J. Kathawalla and Surendra Tavade have also directed the dean of JJ hospital to constitute a committee of doctors including a neuro-physician, ENT, orthopaedic, general physician and any other doctor who might be required to examine Swamy.
The report has to be submitted to the court on May 21, when it is scheduled to hear the case again.
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Bombay HC sets up video call with Father Stan Swamy on May 21

19/05/2021

Sabrangindia / by Sabrangindia

It has also directed JJ Hospital’s Dean to constitute a committee of experts to examine the 84-year old’s health.
During the bail hearing of Bhima Koregaon case accused, Father Stan Swamy, the Bombay High Court has ordered Taloja Central jail to set up a video call with him on May 21 at 10:30 A.M.
The court said, “Taloja having video conferencing facilities, they shall arrange a meeting of the appellant with the court on 21st May at 10.30 A.M.” Father Swamy was taken to JJ Hospital yesterday but was brought back to Taloja jail around midnight.
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Activist Stan Swamy taken back to jail after visiting hospital for tests

18/05/2021

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

Swamy’s colleague said he was taken to a hospital at 4.45 pm on Tuesday and brought back to jail before midnight.
Tribal rights activist Stan Swamy, who is in custody in connection with the 2018 Bhima Koregaon case, was not shifted to a hospital on Tuesday, his colleague told Scroll.in. The 83-year-old’s health had deteriorated and the Jesuits, the Catholic religious order to which he belongs, had appealed to the Maharashtra government seeking medical attention for the activist.
… “The case comes up for hearing today [Wednesday] and we are told the prosecution will submit his medical report.”
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Jailed activist Stan Swamy shifted to JJ Hospital due to poor health

18/05/2021

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

Swamy, 84, suffers from Parkinson’s disease, and his health had deteriorated further recently.
Tribal rights activist Stan Swamy, who is in custody in connection to the 2018 Bhima Koregaon case, was on Tuesday moved to JJ Hospital in Mumbai from Taloja Jail, where he was lodged, a relative of one of the other people arrested in the same matter told Scroll.in.
… Meanwhile, the Bombay High Court is likely to hear Swamy’s medical bail plea on Wednesday, PTI reported.
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Father Stan Swamy finally gets first Covid shot, health continues to deteriorate in jail [read medical note]

18/05/2021 Rani

Sabrangindia / by Sabrangindia

His medical note filed before the Bombay High Court on poor facilities states that Taloja houses 3,251 inmates instead of its capacity of 2,124, with only three Ayurvedic doctors on duty.
Adivasi rights activist and Jesuit Priest Father Stan Swamy has finally been given the first dose of the vaccine against Covid-19 today. This despite the fact that the 84 year old who has multiple comorbidity issues has been eligible to take the vaccine since March 1, 2021. He was reportedly denied the vaccine earlier as he did not have his Aadhaar Card!
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Shift Stan Swamy to a Hospital: Jharkhand Activists Write to Maharashtra Govt

17/05/2021 Rani

Shift Stan Swamy to a Hospital: Jharkhand Activists Write to Maharashtra Govt

17/05/2021

The Wire / by The Wire Staff

In a letter addressed to the Maharashtra chief minister, activists pointed out that Swamy, who had been arrested last year in the ongoing investigation in the Elgar Parishad case, was a Parkinson’s disease patient.
The Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha, a coalition of people’s organisations and activists in the state, has urged the Maharashtra government to immediately shift tribal rights activist Father Stan Swamy, who is currently lodged at Taloja jail, to a hospital and be provided with medical treatment.
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Condition in Jail Grim: Swamy’s Friends Demand Medical Attention

17/05/2021

The Quint / by The Quint

Stan Swamy was arrested on 9 October 2020 for his alleged involvement in the Bhima Koregaon case of 2018.
Calling attention to the poor health condition of 84-year-old Father Stan Swamy inside the Taloja jail, friends and families demanded immediate medical attention.
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Ranchi archdiocese seeks CM’s help in securing bail for Fr Stan

17/05/2021

The Times of India / by Jaideep Deogharia

The Society of Jesuits, Ranchi Archdiocese and Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha (JJM) have appealed to the chief minister of Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray, to ensure a Covid test, proper treatment and vaccination for octogenariah Father Stan Swamy and others who are in jail in connection to the Bhima-Koregaon violence case.
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Should the BK16 be left to die? / Crowded Jails & COVID: BK16 Accused’s Kin Share Fears

17/05/2021 Rani

Should the Bhima Koregaon 16 be left to die?

17/05/2021

Rediff.com / by Jyoti Punwani

Consider this:
In 2019, Father Stan Swamy, accused in the Bhima Koregaon case, had to undergo an emergency appendicitis operation because he had insisted on working till the very last day. The doctor wondered how the then 82-year-old Jesuit priest had borne the pain so long.
In the seven months that he has spent in Taloja jail, not once has Father Stan complained, except to ask for a straw and a sipper because Parkinson’s disease doesn’t allow him to have a steady grip on his cup.
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Crowded Jails & COVID: 16 Bhima Koregaon Accused’s Kin Share Fears

17/05/2021

The Quint / by Mekhala Saran

“Please allow us to take care of them,” beseech their family and friends.
“It looks like once you are a prisoner, there is no value for your life,” said Dr Jenny Rowena, a Delhi University professor and wife of Dr Hany Babu, an undertrial prisoner, at a press conference, organised by friends and family of the 16 accused in the Bhima Koregaon case.
Dr Babu is currently COVID-positive and admitted in Mumbai’s JJ Hospital with an acute eye infection that has affected his vision. Spreading to his cheeks and forehead, the infection has caused his eyes to bulge out.
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Also read/watch video: Bhima Koregaon, COVID-19 and custodial apathy in jails / Video + Press Release (May 15)

Bhima Koregaon, COVID-19 and custodial apathy in jails / Audio + Press Release

15/05/2021 Rani

Video: Press Conference demanding immediate release of BK16 prisoners

15/05/2021

By Insaf

en + hindi l 1h20min l 2021
Listen to audio here

Press Release: Covid-19 a virtual death sentence, new persecution tool against Bhima-Koregaon accused

15/05/2021

sabrang / by sabrangindia

Friends and families of undertrial prisoners narrate the worsening condition in Taloja and Byculla prisons, stressing a single fact – jail authorities must allow unconditional bail for all political prisoners!
Families and friends of the 15-accused in the Bhima Koregaon (hereafter called BK-15) case vehemently demanded the immediate release of undertrial prisoners from crowded jails, while talking about jail conditions during a press conference on May 15, 2021.
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Press Release: Bhima Koregaon, COVID-19 and custodial apathy in jails

15/05/2021

By Mumbai Rises to Save Democracy

Press Release
On May 15th, several family members of the 15 prisoners accused in the Bhima Koregaon-Elgaar Parishad case addressed the press via an online press conference. Some of the arrestees have spent three years behind bars and continue to await trial. Even as the COVID-19 pandemic rages with greater intensity, several among those incarcerated have contracted the virus. Most of the arrestees are over the age of 60 and most suffer severe comorbidities. Despite the rapidly deteriorating health of the incarcerated, particularly most recently in the case of Prof. Hany Babu basic medical attention has been denied to them. Demanding that those imprisoned be released on bail in light of the looming threat of the pandemic, Prof. Babu’s wife Jenny Rowena, Adv. Surendra Gadling’s wife Minal Gadling, Fr. Stan Swamy’s friend Fr. Joseph Xavier, Mahesh Raut’s sister Monali, activist Harshali Potdar of Republican Panthers Jatiya Antachi Chalwal and friend of Sudhir Dhawale, Adv. Sudha Bharadwaj’s friend Smita Gupta addressed the press.

Harshali told us of conditions within Taloja Jail from Sudhir Dhawale who informed her that majority of the staff including cleaners and cooks inside prison have tested positive for COVID-19. The hospital inside Taloja is currently treating 60-65 people for the virus. No testing facilities are available inside jail. Instead, the jail is testing people who are fit in order to show that there are no cases. Eight persons inside Sudhir Dhawale and Vernon Gonsalves’ barrack have tested positive. Yet the prison staff have refused to test them. Sudhir Dhawale despite being over the age of 45 has been denied the vaccine as he does not have an Aadhaar card. Despite the fact that his documents have been confiscated by the police, being denied the right to be vaccinated while in the custody of the state raises the question, “whose responsibility is it now?” The letters being sent by them are reaching the family with a delay of over a month and video calls are not available. Despite the Prison Act 1894 that ensures that prisoners are entitled to basic medical facilities. However, in Taloja, there are no doctors, nurses, lab technicians, etc. but only three ayurvedic practitioners. Right to proper food and water, right to intermingle with other prisoners, communication with family members and lawyers through letters and calls, speedy trials, etc. – all of these rights are being violated.

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Bombay HC issues notice to NIA on bail plea by Octogenarian Stan Swamy

04/05/2021 Maya

Bombay HC issues notice to NIA on bail plea by Octogenarian Stan Swamy in Elgar Parishad case

04/05/2021

The Leaflet / by Byhamza Lakdawala

The Bombay High Court Tuesday issued notice to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on a plea filed by octogenarian Father Stan Swamy, seeking bail on medical grounds.
A bench of Justices SS Shinde and Manish Pitale also directed the Taloja jail authorities to file a report indicating Stan Swamy’s health status.
The bench listed the matter in the week commencing from May 15.
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Bombay HC Issues Notice To NIA Over Activist Stan Swamy’s Bail Plea

04/05/2021

Outlook / by Outlook Web Bureau

Stan Swamy (84) was arrested in October 2020 in connection with the Elgar-Parishad Maoist links case.
The Bombay High Court Tuesday issued a notice to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) directing it to file a reply to tribal rights activist Stan Swamy’s medical bail plea.
Swamy (84) was arrested in October 2020 in connection with the Elgar-Parishad Maoist links case. He has been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and various other sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
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By Live Law (May 4):
+++ The Bombay High Court will hear 84-yr-old tribal rights activist Father Stan Swamy’s appeal for emergency bail +++
+++ Matter begins.
J Shinde- What is the position of the proceedings before the sessions court?
Sr Adv Mihir Desai – Even the charges have not been framed +++
Desai – He is got advanced Parkinsons and has a hearing problem. With covid spreading in prisons, its become very difficult for him. APP Yagnik for the State says he needs time to file a reply +++
+++ J Shinde says they will keep the medical bail application during the vacation and regular bail application can be heard later +++
+++ Court issues notice on Fr Stan Swamy’s bail plea on merits +++
Court begins dictating the order. Court – Adv Desai submits that limitation in filing the appeal for emergency bail won’t apply in view of the SC’s orders +++
+++ Court – The fact that the appellant is in jail and did not gain an advantage by delaying the appeal. Delay condoned +++
+++ Court – Mr. Yagnik assures the court that Father Stan’s medical reports will be submitted by May 15, 2021. Father Stan Swamy’s lawyers are at liberty to mention his emergency bail application after May 17, 2021 +++
+++ Court allows an amendment for the State to be added as a party in both the bail appeals. hearing ends +++

Father Stan Swamy Moves Bombay High Court For Bail

27/04/2021

Live Law / by Sharmeen Hakim

Father Stan Swamy, tribal rights activist and an accused in the Elgaar Parishad – Bhima Koregaon Case has approached the Bombay High Court challenging rejection of his bail pleas by the Special Court under the National Investigating Agency Act.
The 84-year-old Jesuit priest has filed an appeal against two orders of the NIA court, the first rejecting his emergency bail application on health grounds in October, last year, and the second order from March 21, 2021, rejecting his bail plea on merits.
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Bhima Koregaon accused Stan Swamy files appeal before Bombay HC challenging Special NIA Court order refusing bail

27/04/2021

Bar & Bench / by Neha Joshi

Swamy was arrested from his house in Ranchi on October 8, 2020 for his alleged role in inciting riots at Bhima Koregaon in 2018. He was later remanded to judicial custody and lodged in Taloja jail.
His bail plea on the ground of medical emergency arising due to COVID-19 pandemic was rejected in October by the Special Court dealing with cases investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
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Mostly Dalits, Adivasis, 97% undertials ‘falsely’ accused, release them, demands JMM

28/04/2021 Rani

Counterview / by Counterview Desk

Making the 84th birth anniversary of Father Stan Swamy – the veteran Adivasi rights Jesuit priest languishing Taloja Jail, Maharashtra, for about four months for his alleged role in Bhima Koregaon violence – as the occasion, the Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha (JJM), a civil rights organisation, has demanded that “lakhs of undertrials with no justice in sight” should be released immediately.
Pointing out that Stan Swamy too is an undertrial, JMM said, was involved in a study carried out in 2014-16, which revealed that about 97 percent of the surveyed undertrial prisoners “were falsely accused of being Maoists”.
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Video: Father Stan Swamy’s 84th birthday celebrations online

26/04/2021 Rani

en + hindi | 1h34min | 2021

By PUCL & friends and co-travellers of Father Stan Swamy

The PUCL along with the friends and co-travellers of Father Stan Swamy,
invite you to join online Father Stan’s 84th birthday celebrations.

Watch video @ PUCL fb page here

Through his own writings from the prison, and know why the State fears him and why the Bhima Koregaon case is cooked up, along with messages of solidarity for his release and that of other Prisoners of Conscience.
Father Stan stands as a symbol of struggle and resistance against the repression of Tribals and has been falsely implicated and arrested since October 2020 in the Bhima Koregaon “conspiracy” case. A Jesuit priest and tribal rights activist, he has worked in Jharkhand for over three decades on issues of land, forest and labour rights in order to create a world where there is love, peace and justice.
#ReleaseFatherStanNOW #ReleaseAllBK16Prisoners

Also watch: Repeal UAPA – Persecution by Prosecution (PUCL, Jan 2021)

In letters, Stan Swamy speaks about co-inmates, life behind bars

27/04/2021

The Indian Express / by Sadaf Modak

Swamy, who turned 84 on Monday, was arrested on October 8, last year, from Ranchi by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for his alleged role in the Elgaar Parishad case.
From his daily routine to the experiences of his co-inmates in jail, Jesuit priest and tribal rights activist Father Stan Swamy’s communication through letters and phones calls with his colleagues and friends gives a glimpse into the 200 days spent in jail by the country’s oldest prisoner arrested in a terror case.
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Birthday greetings to Fr Stan Swamy: True Meaning of Solidarity / Video: A Caged Bird Can Still Sing

26/04/2021 Rani

Birthday greetings to Fr Stan Swamy, in jail: You taught us true meaning of solidarity

26/04/2021

Counterview / by Fr Cedric Prakash SJ

Dear Stan,
It is rather unusual and certainly not normal to wish someone who is in prison “A Happy Birthday!” One’s birthday cannot be ‘happy’ in prison; however, in wishing you we celebrate your life: your mission and your message and above all, those whom you have so closely identified with, all these years so “Birthday Greetings to you dear Fr. Stan!
Our prayer today is one of thanksgiving to Almighty God for the Gift of You: to so many people everywhere: particularly the poor and the excluded, the Adivasis and Dalits; to the Country, the Church and the Society of Jesus.
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Music video: A Caged Bird Can Still Sing

26/04/2021

en | 3:47min | 2021

By Bombay Jesuits

This Rap song is a tribute to Fr. Stan Swamy SJ on the occasion of his 84th Birthday (26th April) Since October 2020 he has been in prison arrested under UAPA in Bhima Koregaon case. He has dedicated his life for the service of the Tribals and marginalized in central India. A true prophet of our times he continues to be a symbol of resistance and a messenger of justice, peace and love not just in the world outside but even in jail. The chorus of this song- “We’ll still sing in chorus, a caged bird can still sing” is taken from one of his letters written from the prison.
Watch video

Birthday cards for Fr Stan Swamy SJ

26/04/2021

By SJES ROME