By People’s Union for Civil Liberties – Chhattisgarh
Release All Political Prisoners!
Repeal Draconian Laws!
Stop Gagging the Media!
June 25th, 2020: On this day in 1975, the then-Indian Government imposed the State of Emergency in India, suspending all fundamental rights and commencing one of the darkest periods of Indian democracy. Today, after a span of forty-five years, we the people of India find ourselves in a similar situation, living in a de facto state of emergency, which has not been officially declared, where scores of ordinary citizens to who dared to criticize the government are being arbitrarily arrested under draconian laws meant only for rarest cases of international terror. The Chhattisgarh chapter of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties is observing this day as the Anti-Emergency Day –to demand the release of arrested human rights workers, and to renew our pledge to uphold the Constitution of India, with all its promises of freedom and equality, in its true spirit. …
The Bombay High Court on Tuesday adjourned the hearing in petition filed by two accused in the Bhima Koregaon case challenging transfer of investigation to the National Investigation Agency, after the Centre sought time to file a reply to the contentions raised. Read more
Elgar Case Transfer: HC Seeks NIA, Centre and Maha Govt Response Before July 14
23/06/2020
Newslick / by pti
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday sought responses from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Central and Maharashtra governments on a petition filed by the two accused, Surendra Gadling and Sudhir Dhawale, challenging transfer of the Elgar Parishad case probe from the Pune police to the NIA. Read more
Citing ‘Inhuman Treatment’ of 11 Activists, Brinda Karat Writes to Amit Shah [read letter]
We are herewith releasing the full text of the letter addressed to the Home Minister, Amit Shah by CPI(M) Polit Bureau Member, Brinda Karat. This pertains to the inhuman treatment of human rights activists arrested in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case. The letter was sent today. Read more
Accused Take Devendra Fadnavis, Two Hindutva Leaders to Court/ Challenging case transfer to NIA [Read Petition]
The activists, Surendra Gadling and Sudhir Dhawale, have also sought response from the NIA for taking over the case 600 days after the Pune police’s investigation began.
Mumbai: After spending close to 750 days in jail, human rights activist Surendra Gadling and anti-caste activist and poet Sudhir Dhawale have challenged the state’s narrative of holding them and nine other human rights activists and lawyers in the prison and accusing them of being “urban Naxals”. Read more
ACCUSED CHALLENGE TRANSFER OF INVESTIGATION TO NIA [Read Petition]
Live Law / by Nitish Kashyap
Advocate Surendra Gadling and Activist Sudhir Dhawale, both accused of having maoist links and inciting the caste based violence that took place at at Koregaon Bhima on January 1, 2018 have filed a writ petition challenging the order of transfer of investigation in the case from Pune police to the National Investigation Agency passed by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. Read more Read petition here
PETITION FILED IN BOMBAY HIGH COURT CHALLENGING TRANSFER OF CASE INVESTIGATION TO NIA
The Leaflet / by Ujjaini Chatterji
A Writ Petition has been filed before the High Court of Maharashtra at Bombay, challenging the transfer of the investigation for Bhima Koregaon and Elgar Parishad cases, to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The Petitioners in the writ are Advocate Surendra Gadling, prominent lawyer who is famous for his court craft and immense knowledge of criminal law, and Sudhir Dhawale, a freelance journalist and anti-caste activist. Both of them are presently lodged in the Taloja Central jail for their alleged involvement in the case. Read more
To dissent is not a crime! Concerned citizens call for the release of activists on humanitarian grounds
We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned about the health of 11 respected fellow citizens:
1. Mr. Varavara Rao
2. Ms. Sudha Bhardwaj
3. Ms. Shoma Sen
4. Mr. Anand Teltumbde
5. Mr. Gautam Navlakha
6. Mr. Arun Ferreira
7. Mr. Vernon Gonsalvez
8. Mr. Surendra Gadling
9. Mr. Mahesh Raut
10. Mr. Sudhir Dhawale
11. Mr. Rona Wilson
These activists, many of them eminent scholars, writers and poets, have worked for the welfare of India’s poorest and most marginalised people over decades. Yet they have been turned into politcal prisoners and incarcerated. They have not been granted bail despite the fact that in the prisons of Maharashtra where they are being detained, some inmates have died and many others have tested positive for COVID-19. Read more
Things Getting Really Bad in Overcrowded Maharashtra Prisons
Even after 2 deceased inmates were found COVID-19 positive, testing is not being done in Taloja where rights activists, mostly 60+, arrested in the Bhima Koregaon case have been lodged. Read more
OF 269 PRISON INMATES WHO TESTED POSITIVE IN MAHARASHTRA, 115 RECOVERED
The Hindu / by Sonam Saigal
As of June 13, 17, 695 screenings and 1681 swab tests were conducted in 10 Central Prisons in Maharashtra and in the Additional Director General, Prisons (ADGP) office of which 269 tested positive, 115 recovered and four died, the Bombay High Court was informed on Monday. Read more
The Day Justice Hosbet Suresh Was Threatened With Arrest
The police’s relentless pursuit of human rights activists in connection with the Bhima Koregaon violence did not spare judges either.
The Bhima Koregaon case, in which 11 prominent human rights activists, lawyers and academics languish behind bars, that too during a pandemic, has now become the template for similar arrests taking place in different parts of the country 2014 under the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah regime. Read more
Nagpur: The Gadchiroli sessions court has rejected the bail application of alleged Maoist Varavara Rao in the case of 39 trucks being burned by Naxalites on December 23, 2016. The 81-year-old applied for bail on the grounds of old age due to which he was a high risk for Covid-19 virus. He is currently in Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai. Read more
Update (June 12) regarding other bail hearing before special NIA Court By Stand With Anand: Today judge and medical reports from Taloja jail & hospital were there. Time has been required by court to go through. Bail hearing is postponed to next Friday, 19 June.
Poster campaign: Rise in rage against state repression!
In the following article, Advocate Nihal Singh Rathod recounts the beginning of this witch-hunt before abusing law became a norm.
JUNE 6, 2018, shall remain a day deeply engraved on my psyche forever, for it changed my life and life of many I know. It shook me to the core. It is not as if I was not at all prepared for it, given its foundation was laid much prior. Read more
