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Varavara Rao denied bail till Nov 17, Bombay HC directs immediate medical examination

Varavara Rao denied bail till Nov 17, Bombay HC directs immediate medical examination


Pic: Mumbai Rises to Save Democracy

Bombay High Court orders medical exam to gauge Dr Varavara Rao’s health status, bail plea to be taken up next on Nov 17

12/11/2020

Bar & Bench / by Neha Joshi

The Court has directed a team from Nanavati hospital to conduct the medical exam, if possible today, adding that a physical exam may be conducted if the team feels an exam via video call is not possible.
The Bombay High Court today directed that a medical examination be conducted to gauge the health status of poet-activist Dr Varavara Rao, who is presently detained in Taloja jail following his arrest in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case in 2018.
The Court has added that the exam be conducted via video today itself, if possible, with the participation of doctors from the Nanavati Hospital who had earlier issued a report on Rao’s condition.
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Bombay High Court Directs Immediate Medical Examination Of Varavara Rao To Consider Prayer For Shifting To Hospital

12/11/2020

Live Law / by Nitish Kashyap

The Bombay High Court on Thursday directed immediate medical examination of 81-year-old Varavara Rao, lodged in Taloja jail in the Bhima Koregaon case, to ascertain whether he needs to be shifted to Nanavati Hospital.
The Court directed that a panel of doctors from Nanavati Hospital should examine him via video call immediately, either today itself or at the latest by tomorrow morning. If the doctors form the opinion after the video call that physical examination of the undertrial is needed, the same should be done immediately.
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Pleading ‘degrading and inhuman treatment’ of ailing Varavara Rao; petition seeking poet’s transfer to Nanavati hospital to be heard by Bombay HC today

12/11/2020

The Leaflet / by The Leaflet

The Bombay High Court will hear today at 3 pm the plea filed Pendyala Hemalatha, the wife of Dr Varavara Rao, alleging violation of the Right to Life, Dignity and Health of her husband on account of the ‘degrading’ and ‘inhumane’ treatment being meted out to Dr. Rao in Tajolia jail.
Senior Advocate Indira Jaising will represent the petitioner before the High Court.
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Bombay HC directs Varavara Rao’s medical examination via video link

12/11/2020

The Leaflet / by The Leaflet

The Bombay High Court Thursday ordered a medical examination of Dr. Varavara Rao through video by the doctors of Nanavati hospital to gauge the present medical health of Dr. Rao, whose condition, according to his wife, has been deteriorating…
Earlier this year, the poet-activist’s deteriorating health condition had caused national and international outrage after his family pleaded to save him from dying in jail. The poet is lodged in Taloja jail’s hospital which according to his wife, lacks medical facilities and is grossly ill-equipped to provide him with the care that he needs.
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Concern over Arnab’s Health in Jail. What about Activists Like Varavara Rao and Stan Swamy?

Concern over Arnab’s Health in Jail. What about Activists Like Varavara Rao and Stan Swamy?

Concern over Arnab’s Health in Jail. What about Activists Like Varavara Rao and Stan Swamy?

09/11/2020

ARRÉ / by ARRÉ BENCH

Jailed poet Varavara Rao is suspected to have dementia; he also suffers from multiple ailments including neurological disorders. Activist Stan Swamy, also in jail, has Parkinsons. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari is concerned about the health of Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami.
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Was it freedom of expression when Arnab Goswami called activists anti-national?

06/11/2020

Counterview / by Vidya Bhushan Rawat

India’s prime time ‘hyper entertainer’, Arnab Goswami, was arrested by the Maharashtra police for charges of ‘abetment of suicide’ of an architect and his mother, who has worked for the so-called ‘number one’ channel, but did not get paid …
In fact, Fadnavis should face an independent commission for upturning the entire Bhima Koregaon violence case into a conspiracy theory and then putting so many intellectuals in jail.
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Arnab Goswami arrest does not set India down a slippery slope – it’s been sliding down one for years

05/11/2020

Scroll.in / by Shoaib Daniyal

Dramatic scenes flashed on India’s TV screens on Wednesday morning as Arnab Goswami, the editor-in-chief of the Republic TV network, was arrested from his home in Mumbai.
Goswami has played a big part in changing India’s media landscape, pioneering a loud, jingoistic brand of journalism that does not shy away from flaunting its leanings towards the Bharatiya Janata Party…
Sudha Bharadwaj, an accused in the Bhima Koregaon case, has explicitly blamed Goswami for making “false, malicious and defamatory allegations” against her by sharing a “fabricated letter”.
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The Maharashtra Police Is Getting Dangerously Politicised and Partisan

05/11/2020

The Wire / by Ashish Khetan

The police has shown no compunctions in going after the critics of the political outfit in power – be it the left-leaning academics under the BJP’s rule or a rightwing media head under the present Shiv Sena-led coalition…
Param Bir Singh, the current police commissioner, has a troubling track record of leading investigations that suit the political party in power. In August 2018, while he was serving as the additional director general of police (law and order) under the BJP-Shiv Sena government, Singh held the infamous press conference in which he released the ‘conclusive evidence’ against the human rights activists and academics accused in the Bhima Koregaon case of waging war against the nation, even as the matter was being heard by the Supreme Court.
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From Kashmir to Gujarat, Journalists Continue to Get Arrested. But It Hasn’t Angered Our Netas Like Arnab’s Arrest

04/11/2020

ARRÉ / by ARRÉ BENCH

The arrest of Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami has been condemned by ministers, many calling it an attack of press freedom. But will they continue their outrage when the next journalist is assaulted in Delhi or arrested in Gujarat?
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Voices of poetry roar in solidarity with the call to release the poet Varavara Rao

Voices of poetry roar in solidarity with the call to release the poet Varavara Rao

A Message from Release the Poet Committee

04/11/2020

By Release the Poet

‘Unchain the Poetry’ was not a mere literary event or birthday celebration for us when we initiated it. Rather we conceived it as an expression of love, anger and conviction of the people on this side of barricade, as another form of resistance.
The overwhelming peoples’ response was indeed a signal to the state of fascism, which dares to confine the bravehearts of this land in prison for being righteous. Today, Poet Varavara Rao emerged as the flaming symbol of the imprisoned dissent. Thus this signal implies to all of the political imprisonment in India.
We salute the poets and activists for their expression of heartfelt love for their beloved poet and generous solidarity to the cause. Even after 12 PM last night (and still now) we are getting loads of poems and videos, which couldn’t be published by yesterday. But those are equally important.
HENCE WE WILL BE PUBLISHING ALL OF THOSE gradually from tomorrow as a continuation of the campaign.
And actually, the fight continues. So far the imprisonment continues – of VV, BK-16, Dr. GN Saibaba and all other political prisoners. We will not let it go, for sure.
As the ending line, for the impact created through this initiative RTPC expresses its indebtedness to Revolutionary Writers Association (RWA) in specific, and to all individuals & organisations at large, for their meaningful support.
Warmest Greetings from,
Release the Poet Committee
#releasethepoet #releasebk16 #ReleaseAllPoliticalPrisoners

Voices of poetry roar in solidarity with the call to release the poet Varavara Rao

03/11/2020

By Release the Poet

Salute Comrade, a glorious birthday! Our tribute will be in poetry, throughout the day.

Aruna Nellutla, VV’s niece, reads out for the poet
Ilika reads out for VV
Kodam Kumar reads out for VV
Shovana Nath reads out for VV
Amita Shereen reads out for VV
Baby Sau reads out for VV
Samiran Ghosh reads out for VV
Ipsa Shatakshi reads out for VV
Nalluri Rukmini reads out for VV
Kaushal Kishore reads out a poem for VV
Rahul Purakaystha recites VV
SAHAJA recites VV’s ‘Companion´
… and numerous others read out for VV

Watch videos on `Release The Poet´ fb page

A birthday behind bars: P Varavara Rao turns 80 years old

03/11/2020

Sabrang / by Sabrang India

Supreme Court has asked Bombay High Court to expedite Rao’s bail application hearing on medical grounds.
Today, November 3, Telugu revolutionary poet P Varavara Rao turns 80 years old. Perhaps if he was not in jail, his wife, daughters, nephews, nieces, would have made it into a day of big celebration. Perhaps he would have wanted to keep it low key instead, maybe just spend the day with his friends and family, sharing a meal, languid conversations, perhaps even a poetry reading or two. Instead the poet and activist will spend another day in jail. It just marks another year that he has been under punishment for his activism.
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Call: The Poetry of Freedom For the Caged Poet

31/10/2020

By Release the Poet

November 3 the People’s Poet Varavara Rao will turn 80. In this fiery time, he is the face of language of resistance. We are inviting the poets from across the country to recite in the honour of the prisoned poet, to reverberate his conviction in the air that day.
Publish the video of your recitation on your Facebook timeline on 3 November, 2020 and inbox the link to RELEASE THE POET Facebook Page or send it to the WhatsApp number given below (in that case, please don’t forget to use #ReleaseThePoet).
Or you can simply audio record your recitation and WhatsApp us along with your one still photograph. We will edit and publish that on our Facebook page (in this case, we need your audio recording and photograph by 2 November 10 P.M.).
Let the combined voices of poetry roar in solidarity with the call to ‘Release The Poet’.
On behalf of ‘Release The Poet’ –
Sabyasachi Deb & Rahul Purkayastha
RTP WhatsApp▪️982 00 839 11

SC Asks Bombay HC To Consider Varavara Rao’s Bail Application At The Earliest

SC Asks Bombay HC To Consider Varavara Rao’s Bail Application At The Earliest

Supreme Court Asks Bombay High Court To Consider Varavara Rao’s Bail Application At The Earliest

29/10/2020

Live Law / by Radhika Roy

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Bombay High Court to list the bail application of 81-year-old poet P. Varavara Rao, who is an undetrail in the Bhima Koregaon case, before the appropriate Bench and hear it at the earliest.
A Bench comprising of Justices UU Lalit, Vineet Saran and S. Ravindra Bhat expressed concern about the bail application filed on medical grounds not having been listed before the Bombay High Court since 17 September and directed the Chief Justice of Bombay High Court to list the same at the earliest.
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SC asks Bombay HC to expedite hearing Varavara Rao’s bail application

29/10/2020

The Leaflet / by The Leaflet

The Supreme Court Thursday asked the Bombay High Court to expedite the hearing of the bail application filed by noted poet Dr. Varavara Rao on medical grounds.
It also expressed concern at the delay in hearing Rao’s bail application which was last heard by the High Court on September 17 when one of the judges in a two-judge bench recused himself from the case. The Court also directed the High Court to examine whether Dr. Rao would be required to be treated in a speciality hospital.
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SC Declines to Order Transfer of Varavara Rao to Hospital

29/10/2020

The Quint / by Vakasha Sachdev

The bench headed by Justice UU Lalit requested the Bombay HC to take up the matter urgently.
The Supreme Court on Thursday, 29 October, declined to grant bail on medical/humanitarian grounds to 80-year-old Varavara Rao, one of the accused in the Bhima Koregaon case.
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SC asks Varavara Rao family to approach Bombay HC again

29/10/2020

The Hindu / by Krishnadas Rajagopal

Apex court requests HC Chief Justice to list case for hearing at the earliest.
The Supreme Court on Thursday did not order the immediate release from jail of ailing poet-activist Varavara Rao even as it voiced concern over a month-long delay witnessed in the Bombay High Court to hear urgent pleas for his liberty and medical treatment.
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Yet again: Supreme Court refuses to send back Poet Varavara Rao to hospital!

Yet again: Supreme Court refuses to send back Poet Varavara Rao to hospital!

Statement by Release the Poet

This November 3rd Varavara Rao will turn 80. And coming November 17th it will be two years of him being taken to custody by the Pune Police for his alleged connection with Maoists in the fabricated Bhima Koregaon Case.

By now, we all are aware of his health conditions. Last July he was diagnosed with Covid-19 and was admitted to Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai. …

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A citizen objects – On the arrests of men and women of conscience

A citizen objects – On the arrests of men and women of conscience

The Telegraph / by Shiv Visvanathan

My father was a brilliant metallurgist who worked for the Tatas. We lived in Jamshedpur and would go for long walks. He loved the forests around the city. I remember one evening as we walked, the Tata ‘mountains’ poured out their slag — molten and incandescent — as if the Tatas made sunsets. Then, a few minutes later, the Dalma hills lit up as the tribals burnt an area for jhum cultivation. Both were brilliant sights and my father watched entranced. He then said, almost cryptically, “Both have to survive. Justice is balance between the two.” For my father, Tata’s validity lay in the continuity of the tribe. It was a vision of a different world.
When I heard of the Jesuit Father, Stan Swamy, I sensed here was a man who understood that vision, grasped why the tribes and the tribal way of life had to survive.
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Hyderabad actvist asks NHRC to look into Varavara Rao’s case

Hyderabad actvist asks NHRC to look into Varavara Rao’s case

The New Indian Express / by Express News Service

He requested the commission to take steps to provide medical care to Saibaba.
Hyderabad: MA Satyanarayana Rao, a city-based activist, has approached the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), requesting it to look into the alleged human rights violations to jailed Delhi University professor GN Saibaba and revolutionary poet Varavara Rao. He requested the commission to take steps to provide medical care to Saibaba.
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NIA Claims Arrested Accused Were Attempting to Create a ‘Dalit Militia’

NIA Claims Arrested Accused Were Attempting to Create a ‘Dalit Militia’

NIA Claims Arrested Accused Were Attempting to Create a ‘Dalit Militia’

21/10/2020

The Wire / by Sukanya Shantha

The NIA chargesheet has sidelined the Pune police’s earlier claim that the accused were plotting to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Mumbai: In the over 10,000-page chargesheet recently filed in the Elgar Parishad case, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has stacked together statements by witnesses who have made claims ranging from arms training undertaken by a few arrested accused in the forests of central India to some trying to “reinvent Dalit militancy” in the country.
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Teltumbde brought Maoist literature, videos from abroad: NIA chargesheet

21/10/2020

The Indian Express / by Sadaf Modak

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has alleged in its chargesheet filed in the Elgar Parishad case that former IIT professor Anand Teltumbde attended international conferences “under the guise of… academic visits abroad” and brought back Maoist literature and videos on “ideology, tactics, weapons” to show members of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist).
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CPI(M) gets Rs 3 crore a year from Maharashtra, MP & Chhattisgarh zone, says NIA chargesheet

21/10/2020

The Indian Express / by Sadaf Modak

The National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) 10,000-page chargesheet in the Elgaar Parishad case relies on witness statements to draw up details about the banned CPI (Maoist), including its means of funding, training and recruitment.
According to a witness, members of the organisation collect Rs 350 per bag of tendua leaves – containing 1,000 pouches – as tax.
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NIA chargesheet claims triangular links between Delhi student front, accused and CPI (Maoist)

21/10/2020

Free Press Journal / by Bhavna Uchil

The chargesheet filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the Bhima Koregaon – Elgar Parishad case has claimed a “concrete triangular link between a student’s organization functioning in New Delhi, arrested accused and CPI (Maoist) operating from the deep forest”.
It states that the issues related with the student front at JNU DSU are highlighted with some of the communication made with Maoist.
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Suppressing Dissent / Who is Really the Enemy of the People?

Suppressing Dissent / Who is Really the Enemy of the People?

Suppressing Dissent

20/10/2020

Medium.com / by Arun Simon

Dissent is rarely welcomed in any society. As power increases, appreciation of dissent decreases. Innumerable examples can be seen with dictators or absolute powers. It is also possible in religion, culture, and other domains… My country India, with all its high democratic values, is no different. The officially declared emergency(1975) may be the worst period in that line. But there are many unofficial competitors for the same today. The recent arrest of many social activists (latest in that line being Fr. Stan Swamy, a tribal activist) under a draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) along with many contemporary events raises serious questions.
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Who is Really the Enemy of the People?

20/10/2020

NewsClick / by Suhit K Sen

India will have to look to forces within the country to steer back towards political processes that incorporate opposition, dissent and diversity.
Stan Swamy, a Jesuit priest and tribal rights activist, was arrested in Ranchi on 9 October. The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which carried out the arrest, claimed he was a member of the CPI (Maoist) organisation. It appears that anyone who works for Dalit rights, or is not in full agreement with the toxic ideology of the Sangh parivar, must be a Maoist.
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Other brothers behind Stan Swamy / Activists Under Detention for Their Words: Tharoor

Other brothers behind Stan Swamy / Activists Under Detention for Their Words: Tharoor

Other brothers behind Stan Swamy

18/10/2020

The Telegraph / by Jhinuk Mazumdar

The priest should be released, otherwise all minorities will come together and agitate in the country, the Imam of Nakhoda Mosque said.
The Centre should release Father Stan Swamy, otherwise all minorities will come together and agitate, an Imam of Nakhoda Mosque said at the end of a silent walk on Park Street expressing solidarity with the 83-year-old Jesuit priest.
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Tweet by Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha, Oct 18: Jharkhand: MLA Bandhu Tirkey has written to President, home minister and PM asking for immediate release of Stan Swamy, closure of bhima-koregaon case, repeal of UAPA and amendment in NIA rules to respect federalism.

Click to enlarge

Activists Under Detention for Their Words: Tharoor

17/10/2020

News 18 / by pti

Pune: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Saturday said a large number of people, including activists Varavara Rao, Sudha Bharadwaj and Anand Teltumbde, are under detention for their words, although none of them is accused of hitting anyone or possessing a gun. He also said that words and ideas may outlast power and authority.
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