Sudha Bharadwaj – Page 10

Bhima Koregaon Accused, Their Lawyers Write to SC’s Committee on Pegasus Spyware Targeting

10/01/2022 Asha

Elgar Parishad Accused, Their Lawyers Write to SC’s Committee on Pegasus Spyware Targeting

10/01/2022

The Wire / Sukanya Shantha

On January 3, the committee issued a public notice urging people to contact them in case they have reasons to believe that their phones were compromised using the malware.
Several human rights defenders and academics implicated in the Elgar Parishad case and their lawyers have sent their representation to the Supreme Court-appointed Technical Committee alleging that their phones were infected by the vicious Pegasus malware.
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Bhima Koregaon accused and their counsel write to SC’s Pegasus technical committee alleging snooping

08/01/2022

The Leaflet / by The Leaflet

On January 3, the Supreme Court-appointed Technical Committee (TC) to investigate the snooping allegations using Pegasus spyware had issued a public notice urging citizens to contact it if they felt that their mobile device had been infected…
The Leaflet learns that at least four accused in the Bhima Koregaon case, and their counsel, Nihalsing B. Rathod, have written to the committee separately alleging that their mobile devices had been infected with the Pegasus malware.
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Counsel Of Bhima Koregaon Accused Writes To SC-Appointed Technical Committee Suspecting Hacking Of His Device

09/01/2022

Live Law / by Srishti Ojha

A lawyer, who represented several persons implicated in the Bhima Koregaon Elgar Parishad case has written to the Technical Committee appointed by the Supreme Court to probe into the allegations of snooping through Pegasus, suspecting compromise of his mobile device by Pegasus Malware.
Advocate Nihalsing B Rathod, a practicing lawyer based in Nagpur has argued that his phone was intercepted for accessing the privileged communication and legal strategies drawn on behalf of his clients in the Bhima Koregaon Elgar Parishad.
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Bhima Koregaon accused, counsel write to SC appointed Committee alleging phones were compromised

08/01/2022

Bar & Bench / by Abhimanyu Hazarika

Advocate Nihal Singh Rathod has offered to appear before the committee and submit his phone for probe.
A Nagpur-based lawyer on Friday wrote to the Supreme Court appointed Technical Committee probing the Pegasus spyware scandal, stating that he has reasons to believe his phone was hacked and compromised by the spyware.
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Also read:
● Leaked Data Shows Surveillance Net in Elgar Parishad Case May Have Crossed a Line (The Wire / July 2021)

UAPA Annual Digest 2021: Important Judgments Of Supreme Court & High Courts

08/01/2022 Asha

Live Law / by Aaratrika Bhaumik

As we step into 2022, LiveLaw brings to you a yearly Round-up of important cases pertaining to the controversial Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 from the Supreme Court, High Courts and trial courts across the country. This yearly digest includes 90 judgments and orders.
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Also watch: Repeal UAPA – Persecution by Prosecution (PUCL, Jan 2021)

Three Day consultation on 20th, 21st and 22nd January, 2021
► Repeal UAPA – Day One (video: en + … | 2h 17min)
► Repeal UAPA – Day Two (video: en +… | 2h 22min)
► Repeal UAPA – Day Three (video: en + … | 2h 51min)

NIA court allows Sudha Bharadwaj to stay in Thane

06/01/2022 Asha

NIA court allows Sudha Bharadwaj to stay in Thane

06/01/2022

Hindustan Times / by HT Correspondent

A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Thursday allowed activist Sudha Bharadwaj’s plea to stay in Thane while on bail in the Elgar Parishad case…
The NIA court on Thursday also directed the superintendent of Taloja prison to preserve CCTV footage and provide clone copies of DVR to human right activist Surendra Gadling, who has also been arrested in the Elgar Parishad Case.
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Sudha Bharadwaj seeks NIA court`s permission to shift to Thane

31/12/2021

Sahu News / by News Desk

Activist Sudha Bharadwaj, who recently obtained bail in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, on Thursday sought permission from the special NIA court here to live in neighbouring in Thane instead of Mumbai. Bharadwaj was released from prison earlier this month after the Bombay High Court granted her bail.
The special court for National Investigation Agency (NIA), while passing the release order, had said that she shall not leave Mumbai without permission.
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Also read:
● Sudha Bharadwaj To Be Released After NIA Court Sets Bail Conditions (The Wire / Dec 2021)
● Surendra Gadling Says Jail Authorities Denying Him Medicines (The Wire / Dec 2021)

Five Indian Women Activists Who Dared To Disagree In 2021 / Human Rights Heroes of 2021

24/12/2021 Asha

Five Indian Women Activists Who Dared To Disagree In 2021

23/12/2021

SheThePeople / by Tanvi Akhauri

Indian women activists set trailblazing paths through dominant narratives this year, daring to be outspoken despite consequences they knew would follow suit. Their moments of dissent were seen as acts of courage by some and acts of radicalism by others, but it became wholly impossible to deny at the same time that these activists – no matter their views – are courageous enough to raise questions and make themselves heard in a society that traditionally sidelines women’s voices.
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Never-the-less, they persisted: Human Rights Heroes of 2021

22/12/2021

Sabrangindia / by Karuna John

Meet our fellow Indians who have continued to defend our rights and freedoms despite being hounded with different forms of institutional violence ranging from targeted attacks and lawsuits to jail terms.
Scores of Human Rights Defenders, students and citizen activists, were subjected to targeted attacks, online vilification, lawsuits and even jail, but stayed true to their path. Today we hail those who grew stronger despite the blows. There are hundreds who are unnamed, here are a few who made headlines worldwide in 2021.
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Bombay HC Turns Down Plea By 8 Accused For Factual Corrections In Order Denying Bail

23/12/2021 Asha

Click to enlarge

Bombay High Court Turns Down Plea By 8 Bhima Koregaon Accused For Factual Corrections In Order Denying Bail

23/12/2021

Live Law / by Sharmeen Hakim

The Court cited the bar under Section 362 CrPC in reviewing the order.
The Bombay High Court on Thursday refused a request by eight accused in the Bhima Koregaon – Elgar Parishad Case for substantial factual corrections to the HC’s order denying them bail.
Through a precipice (application) for “speaking to minutes”, the accused claimed that just like Sudha Bharadwaj, who was granted bail, they had also filed their default bail pleas in the stipulated time.
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Bombay HC refuses to entertain plea by 8 accused claiming „factual errors“ in default bail order

23/12/2021

Bar & Bench / by Neha Joshi

The 8 accused had moved the High Court seeking a minor rectification in the order passed by the Division Bench refusing default bail to them.
The Bombay High Court on Thursday refused to intervene in a plea by eight accused in the Bhima Koregaon violence case seeking a rectification of the ‘factual errors’ in the order refusing default bail to them.
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HC disposes plea of eight accused seeking rectification in order denying them bail

23/12/2021

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

The activists and academicians had said that the Bombay High Court order was based on a ‘factual error’.
The Bombay High Court on Thursday refused to intervene in a plea filed by eight accused persons in the Bhima Koregaon case, seeking rectification in an order that refused them bail, Bar and Bench reported.
The Bhima Koregaon case pertains to caste violence in a village near Pune in January 2018. Eight activists and academicians are among the 16 people arrested for allegedly plotting the violence.
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Eight Accused Approach HC, Say Denial of Default Bail Based on ‘Factual Error’

22/12/2021

The Wire / by The Wire Staff

Sudhir Dawale, Varavara Rao, Rona Wilson, Surendra Gadling, Shoma Sen, Mahesh Raut, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira have approached the high court claiming its order denying them default bail was based on a “factual error”.
Eight activists and academics currently in jail in the Elgar Parishad case, who were denied default bail by the Bombay high court earlier this month, have approached the high court on Tuesday, seeking a correction in the relevant order. They said that they had in fact exercised their right to default bail within the stipulated period …
The high court will hear the matter further on December 23.
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Had Sought Default Bail Like Sudha Bharadwaj’: 8 Bhima-Koregaon Accused Approach Bombay HC Claiming ‘Factual Error’ In Judgment

21/12/2021

Live Law / by Sharmeen Hakim

Eight accused in the Bhima Koregaon-Elgar Parishad case denied default bail have re-approached the Bombay High Court claiming to have exercised their right to default bail well within the stipulated period.
It may be recalled that the High Court had granted default bail to lawyer-activist Sudha Bharadwaj, an accused in the case, on the ground that the Pune Sessions Court was not competent to extend the time for probe as it was not notified as a Special Court under the NIA Act. However, the Court denied the same benefit to other accused by saying that they had not filed applications for default bail when that right accrued to them.
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Civil society renews demand for repeal of UAPA, AFSPA and Sedition Law

14/12/2021 Asha

Drawing by Arun Ferreira

Civil society renews demand for repeal of UAPA, AFSPA and Sedition Law

14/12/2021

Kashmir Media Service / by KMS

Prominent civil society groups and activists as well as lawyers held a public meeting at the Press Club of India and demanded repeal of black laws like Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, sedition law, and Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act.
The speakers explained various aspects of the black laws, their history of use by various governments in India to try to silence the voices of the people, and said in one voice that in a democracy there was no place for such laws. Those who addressed the meeting included M K Venu of The Wire, Vikas Bajpai, Ish Mishra and A Dubey of Janhastakshep, civil rights activist Sanjay Parikh and lawyer and civil rights activist N D Pancholi.
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Bail to Sudha Bharadwaj: Civil rights groups demand release of all BK case accused

14/12/2021

Counterview / by Counterview

Civil rights groups, even as welcoming the Supreme Court order granting default bail to Advocate Sudha Bharadwaj, have demanded that release of all human rights defenders arrested in the Bhima Koregaon (BK) case.
The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) said the “short order of the Supreme Court” on December 7 dismissing the Special Leave Petition (SLP) of the National Investigation Agency (NIA)” is a “vindication of the long campaign against the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) by the PUCL and other allied groups.
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Read full statement: PUCL Welcomes Bail for Sudha Bharadwaj

Over 50% of those arrested under UAPA were under 30, Centre tells Parliament

15/12/2021

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

The government said it was not considering any amendments to the anti-terror law, which critics say is being increasingly used to stifle dissent.
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There is no room for fake encounters, says NHRC chief Arun Mishra

11/12/2021 Asha

Drawing by Arun Ferreira

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

The head of the country’s statutory human rights body said that speedy justice was key to rule of law.
National Human Rights Commission chief Arun Mishra on Friday said that suspects in cases should not be jailed without trial and that there was no room for fake encounters. Mishra, a former Supreme Court judge, added that justice was the source of a peaceful society…
As recently as on Wednesday, South African non-profit organisation Civicus put India on a list of countries with “repressed” democratic values. The report had flagged the use of draconian anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against activists arrested in the Bhima Koregaon case, repression of the farmers’ protest and the imposition of curfews in Jammu and Kashmir.
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Also read:
● In Jharkhand, Scheduled Tribes Still Battle Flimsy Criminal Cases Filed With Little Evidence (Indiaspend / Oct 2021)
● The ‘Encounter Raj’ mindset: Stop mocking those who stand for human rights. Demonising them endangers every citizen (Times of India / July 2020)
● Chhattisgarh: Story of another ‘encounter’ (The Indian Express / Dec 2019)
● Press Release Of The Joint Fact Finding in Gadchiroli by CDRO, IAPL and WSS (WSS / May 2018)

Human Rights Day: BK16 Solidarity (in pictures) / Is there really cause for celebration?

10/12/2021 Asha

Raipur and Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh)

10/12/2021

By PUCL Chhattisgarh

PUCL Chhattisgarh together with several other unions and organisations organised events in Raipur and Bilaspur on the occasion of Human Rights day. Over 200 people were present in both cities. They also submitted a memorandum to the chief minister and governor of the state
Read PUCL press release (hindi)

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Worldwide Campaign

‘Speaking Up Is Not Anti-National’: Global Groups Condemn Attacks on India’s Rights Defenders

10/12/2021

The Wire / by The Wire Staff

‘Every single government authority, whose job it is to safeguard human rights, has actively undermined them.’
The Indian diaspora and 30 international human rights groups across over 15 countries on Friday – on the occasion of Human Rights Day – came together for a global campaign to condemn growing attacks on human rights in India. In a statement, they advocated for the repeal of laws that are criminalising the defence of human rights and jailing human rights defenders in the country.
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Berlin and Goettingen, Germany

10/12/2021

India Justice Project (IJP) & IndienKoGruppe

Through an interactive street performance on 10 December, International Human Rights Day, at Rathaus Neukoelln in Berlin, the India Justice Project called for solidarity with imprisoned human rights defenders in India.
Read IJP press release

click to enlarge

Goettingen

Release intellectuals, writers arrested under UAPA: Farm outfit

11/12/2021

Times of India / by Neel Kamal

Hours before winding up the year-long farmers’ protest at the Delhi borders, farmer organisation BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) on Friday observed the international human rights day and demanded the release of all intellectuals and writers arrested under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) Bhima Koregaon, Elgar Parishad case and Delhi riots cases.
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Video

By Neha Dixit (Dec 11)
+++ The fabulous Navsharan Singh speaks of Sudha Bharadwaj’s release as several women farmers gather at the Bibi Gulaab Kaur stage to wrap up the 15 month long protest and return home victorious +++
Watch video

Human Rights Day: Is there really cause for celebration?

10/12/2021

Bar & Bench / by Areeb Uddin Ahmed, Aditya AK

In the face of what has come to pass in the recent past, as human rights continue to be sacrificed at the altar of national security and other reasons, we ask ourselves whether there really is cause for celebration.
Every December 10 is celebrated as Human Rights Day, in honour of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), a document that serves as the blueprint for the freedoms assured to persons across the world.
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The charges against Sudha Bharadwaj

10/12/2021 Asha

The Indian Express / by Chandan Haygunde

Allegations are mainly based on documents purportedly retrieved from electronic devices seized in the case.
… Police had charged her with recruiting for the CPI-Maoist, mobilising funds for the outfit and meeting “undercover” operatives. Allegations are mainly based on documents purportedly retrieved from electronic devices seized in the case.
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Also read:
● In Bhima-Koregaon Case, More Damning Signs of Planted Evidence (article14 / April 2021)
● Indian activists jailed on terrorism charges were on list with surveillance targets (Washington Post / July 2021)
● Surendra Gadling’s Computer Was Attacked, Incriminating Documents Planted: Arsenal Consulting (The Wire / July 2021)

Activist Sudha Bharadwaj walks out of jail after over three years / Spontaneous Celebrations

09/12/2021 Asha

Pic: Sudha Bharadwaj, after being released

Chhattisgarh: People Gather after Sudha’s Release

09/12/2021

In Chhattisgarh, spontaneous celebrations as workers wait for “Sudha didi”

09/12/2021

Newslaundry / by Prateek Goyal

As news spread about the Supreme Court rejecting the NIA’s plea against the bail granted to activist Sudha Bharadwaj on Tuesday, a large group of workers, draped in yellow and gray uniforms, began celebrating at Burah Pandal opposite the ACC Limited cement factory in the industrial town of Bhilai. It was not the only spontaneous gathering of workers in Chhattisgarh to acknowledge the relief granted to their beloved Sudha “didi”.
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Lawyer-Activist Sudha Bharadwaj Released After Over 3 Years In Jail

09/12/2021

Live Law / by Sharmeen Hakim

Lawyer and well-known tribal rights activist Sudha Bharadwaj walked out of Byculla women’s prison today after over 1000 days of incarceration in the Bhima Koregaon – Elgar Parishad caste violence Case.
Bharadwaj was arrested on August 28, 2018.
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Activist Sudha Bharadwaj walks out of jail after over three years

09/12/2021

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

The NIA court has asked her to not make any statements to the media.
Lawyer-activist Sudha Bharadwaj, an accused in the Bhima Koregaon case, was released from Mumbai’s Byculla women’s jail on Thursday, NDTV reported. Bharadwaj was arrested in August 2018, and was granted default bail by the Bombay High Court last week.
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#SudhaBharadwaj (Dec 9)

By Prashant Bhushan:
+++ Welcome back Sudha Bharadwaj, the indefatigable crusader for human rights for the downtrodden, after spending over 3 years in jail on trumped up charges. One day,your tormentors will be held to account. Hope others similarly jailed in the Bhima Koregaon case are also released soon +++

By Jignesh Mevani:
+++ Where bail not jail is the rule, Sudha Bharadwaj had to spend three years in jail for her speech that has been alleged to cause voilence. We urge the courts for early release of all those you have been made political scapegoats of the highest order under draconian laws like UAPA +++

By Rana Ayyub:

By NAPM:
+++ NAPM salutes the determination of trade unionist & people’s lawyer #SudhaBharadwaj, as she walks free from jail after 3 yrs of arbitrary incarceration, amidst harsh bail conditions. It is high time all activists jailed in ‘Bhima Koregaon’ case are immediately released.#RepealUAPA +++

…

IAMC, HfHR welcome release of Sudha Bharadwaj

10/12/2021

TwoCircles.net / by IAMC and HfHR

Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), an advocacy group committed to safeguarding India’s pluralist and tolerant ethos, and Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR), an advocate for pluralism, civil and human rights in South Asia and North America, rooted in the values of the Hindu faith, have welcomed the release of renowned Indian human rights defender and lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj on December 9 after being incarcerated for more than three years without trial.
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