Hindustan Times / by HT Correspondent
Punde: A fourth hard disk was handed over to the accused arrested in the Elgar Parishad case on Monday.
The court also maintained that no official communication has been received about the central government’s decision to hand over the case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
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The Times of India / by Prafulla Marpakwar
MUMBAI: NCP president Sharad Pawar has written to CM Uddhav Thackeray demanding an SIT probe into the Koregaon Bhima violence and the arrests of intellectuals and prominent persons in the Elgar Parishad case.
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Live Law / by Nitish Kashyap
Like every year, the Bombay High Court in 2019 witnessed a flurry of fresh PILs and petitions filed and pronounced orders/judgements in plenty of old cases. Here is a look at the some of the most significant judgements/orders of the Bombay High Court in the past year.
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National Herald / by Arun Srivastava
While Hemant Soren, just after assuming the office of the chief minister of Jharkhand, withdrew the Pathalgadi sedition case in the maiden cabinet decision, the Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, even after being in office for some time, has so far not initiated the process to withdraw the Koregaon sedition case.
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Counterview / by Aviral Anand
A leading newspaper recently published sections from letters that the Elgaar-Parishad accused have written to family members and acquaintances from their current state of incarceration. The letters pulsate with various emotions of those behind bars, but one element that does seem to shine through is a continued concern for their less-fortunate fellow-beings.
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The Hindustan Times / by Shalaka Shinde
Police have accused 19 people in the case, including nine arrested activists, five alleged underground members of CPI(M), four residents of Pune and a resident of Mumbai …
The case will be heard next on January 1, 2020.
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The Indian Express / by Express News Service
Addressing the 12th conclave of All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) at Byculla, Karat accused the Centre of undermining the Constitution and dividing the people in name of caste, creed and religion to serve its “devious larger agenda of (setting up) a theocratic state”. …
“The basic principle of a secular country must be separation of religion from politics… Even today, men and women who fought for the rights of the oppressed and marginalised, like (activist) Sudha Bharadwaj, are in jail in the name of being urban naxals. The state government should withdraw all (Elgaar Parishad) cases,” she added.
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Nov 2019
Maaysha, Sudha’s daughter: “If fighting for the rights of adivasis, fighting for workers and peasants, fighting against repression and exploitation and giving up one s whole life for them is being a naxalite then I guess naxalites are pretty good.”
“The 6th Annual Harvard Law International Women’s Day Portrait Exhibit showcases the astounding contributions of women around the world to the areas of law and policy. The honorees — each of whom were nominated by HLS students, faculty or staff — are powerful voices in their respective fields, whether they are sitting on a high court bench, standing in front of a classroom, or marching in the streets.”
Or whether they are sitting in jail.
Advocate Sudha Bharadwaj is a 2019 honoree of the Harvard Law International Women’s day exhibition and is sitting in a jail cell in Pune. How did these conflicting positions come about?
Sudha grew up to illustrious parents, and spent the first part of her life as an American citizen. In the next 30 years of her life, she worked tirelessly in Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha (CMM) as a trade unionist and eventually as a lawyer after the CMM, hamstrung in their legal battles by unscrupulous lawyers, found in her the courage and integrity needed to challenge powerful opponents in the courtrooms.
She founded Janhit, giving rigorous legal aid to several industrial workers, villages fighting acquisition and mining, Adivasi communities fighting for forest rights, environmental cases and PIL litigation. Janhit led cases against powerful industrial houses such as Jindal, Vedanta, BALCO, Lafarge Holcim, D.B. Power, Vandana Vidyut, SECL, Bhilai Steel Plant, Monnet Steel, Adani, Hindalco, Grasim, Ultratech and others.
Sudha was instrumental in rebuilding the PUCL group after the arrest and incarceration of its then-President, Dr. Binayak Sen. During this time, she was appointed as the General Secretary of People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and worked on issues of human trafficking and attacks on minorities. She also assisted families of victims of human rights violations looked upon as casualties in the conflict zone of Bastar and supported journalists and activists who dared raise their voices and pen against the State excesses in Bastar. She was elected recently as Vice President of the Indian Association of Peoples’ Lawyers (IAPL) and was active in campaigns against attacks on Dalit and human rights lawyers in Chhattisgarh and facilitated an IAPL fact-finding into it.
Sudha was arrested from her Faridabad home which she was sharing with her daughter, Maaysha. During this time, she was a Visiting Professor at the National Law University Delhi, taking Seminar Courses on tribal rights, land acquisition, and the Fifth and Sixth Schedules. This year she was to have taught “Law and Justice in a Globalising World”. Sadly, and ironically, she can’t teach the class as she is in jail. The loss, the students inform us, is all theirs.
Her daughter Maaysha, has in several letters candidly brought to fore Sudha’s tireless spirit and her commitment to her work, “If fighting for the rights of Adivasis, fighting for workers and peasants, fighting against repression and exploitation and giving up one’s whole life for them is being a Naxalite then I guess Naxalites are pretty good.”
Guneet Ahuja, Advocate, Delhi, in an open letter writes about Sudha, “On my first meeting with Sudha ji, I asked her about the competing narratives regarding the condition of indigenous communities in Bastar. Her reply left a deep impact on me: “For a pedestrian on a narrow lane, the car driver is causing the trouble. For the car driver, the pedestrian is the nuisance. Your perspectives change based on where you are placed.”
Sudha is the pedestrian along with all the people she fights for. She believes the road belongs to us. The State is the car who doesn’t want nuisance pedestrians in the way, believes the road belongs to it, and wants it lined with the businesses of its cronies. To the State, Sudha belongs in jail. To us, she is a defender of human rights.
“If you try to be safe and in the middle, you will never succeed.”
Sudha, The Wire
Publisher: Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL)
Edition: January 2021
Language: English
Sudha Bharadwaj’s interview by: Darshana Mitra and Santanu Chakraborty
Pictures credit: PUCL
Cover Design / Layout: Vinay Jain
Paperback: 316 pages
PDF copy: Sudha Bharadwaj speaks – A Life in Law and Activism (PUCL, Jan 2021)
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Firstpost / by MN Parth
The Free Press Journal / by Sanjay Jog
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray may form a panel to probe the arrests of activists in connection with Elgar Parishad action by the Pune police. Activists Rona Wilson, Shoma Sen, Surendra Gadling, Mahesh Raut, Varavara Rao and Sudhir Dhavle, who were arrested, were accused of having Maoist links. Thackeray has sought details regarding the ongoing court cases from the home department.
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