The huge number of undertrials, the overcrowding, and the disproportional numbers of Dalit, Muslim and Adivasi prisoners are part of the prison problem in India.
We are joined by Adv. Sudha Bharadwaj for a discussion on the Conditions of Prisoners in Indian Jails.
en | 1:21:23 | 2022
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en | 1:26:48 | 2022
By Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC)
Listen this briefing to hear experts detail the inadequate response of India’s courts to the escalating religious persecution and human rights violations under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
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hindi | 48:02min | 2022
By Satya Hindi
Was the corporate world the reason for the arrest of Sudha Bharadwaj, a social worker who fought for the underprivileged? Was there a conspiracy to implicate him in the Bhima Koregaon case? How was her experience during his three years in prison? How does she view the current times for socio-economic movements? Does she expect times to change? Dr. Mukesh Kumar talking to Sudha Bhardwaj.
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By PEN International
On 21 February each year, PEN International joins worldwide observations of International Mother Language Day, which celebrates the importance of linguistic diversity around world.
This year, PEN International calls for the release of linguistics scholar and activist Hany Babu (India), who has been unjustly detained by the Indian authorities as part of the government’s wider crackdown on dissidents and advocates for the rights of marginalised communities in India…
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PEN International considers Hany Babu’s detention and that of his fellow activists a breach of their right to freedom of expression, and calls for their immediate and unconditional release.
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en | 3h5min | 2021
By Field Linguistics JNU
An Online Conference to mark one year of Hany Babu’s imprisonment
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The Indian Express / by Express News Service
Gadling had submitted that his son had brought ayurvedic medicines for him in November but the Taloja Jail superintendent did not allow him access to those.
A special court has allowed lawyer Surendra Gadling, an accused in the Elgaar Parishad case, access to ayurvedic medicines as well as a table and chair to study for his defence.
Gadling had submitted that his son had brought ayurvedic medicines for him in November but the Taloja Jail superintendent did not allow him access to those. He submitted that the court had, in 2018, permitted him to carry the prescribed medicines to prison.
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Video: The Prison Song of Surendra Gadling
hindi | 11min | 2021
In August, when human rights lawyer Surendra Gadling was released on interim bail for a week, he made a quick visit to the Nagpur sessions court to meet his colleagues and friends. 51- year-old Gadling, a well-known criminal lawyer in Nagpur, was once a cultural activist, who sang songs of political resistance. The 11- minutes- long rendition tells you what it means to be incarcerated in Indian prisons. From food, water, to medical care, everything is a struggle, Gadling narrates.
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19/02/2022
The Leaflet / by The Leaflet
A special National Investigative Agency (NIA) court denied bail on Monday to three persons accused in the Bhima Koregaon (Elgar Parishad) case and declined to consider former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ statement in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. The court, while denying bail, maintained that the accused hatched a “serious conspiracy” to create unrest in the country.
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17/02/2022
Live Law / by Sahrmeen Hakim
Fadnavis spoke about the unexpected presence of over 200-300 people holding saffron flags on the day of violence.
The NIA court has declined to consider Maharashtra’s ex-Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s statement in the State Legislative Assembly on the issue of caste violence at Bhima Koregaon while rejecting bail applications of three accused. The then Chief Minister had spoken on the floor of the house about the presence of around 200-300 people holding saffron flags, sloganeering at the place of the caste violence on January 1, 2018.
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17/02/2022
Hindustan Times / by Vinay Dalvi
Though the verdict was pronounced on Monday, the detailed order became available late in the evening on Wednesday.
“From the documents and letters placed on record, prima facie it can be gathered that the applicants along with other members of the banned organisation hatched a serious conspiracy to create unrest in the entire country and to overpower the government politically,” the special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court has said, while rejecting bail pleas of Kabir Kala Manch members Jyoti Jagtap, Sagar Gorkhe and Ramesh Gaichor.
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hindi (en subtitles) | 2:20min | 2020
Before arresting them, NIA allegedly offered to let off Kabir Kala Manch musicians Sagar Gorkhe and Ramesh Gaichor if they admitted to Maoist links, to indict activists arrested in the #BhimaKoregaon case.
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Also read:
● The unravelling of a conspiracy: were the 16 charged with plotting to kill India’s prime minister framed? (The Guardian / Aug 2021)
● They were accused of plotting to overthrow the Modi government. The evidence was planted, a new report says (Washington Post / Feb 2021)
● The many plots to assassinate Narendra Modi (The Caravan / Sep 2018)
Bar & Bench / by Neha Joshi
The first person to get bail in the Bhima Koregaon case, Sudha Bharadwaj talks about life in prison, the dire need for better legal aid for prisoners and more.
en | 24:33min | 2022
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26/01/2022
en | 14:45min | 2022
By InSAF India
An International Solidarity Statement remembering the human rights defenders in jail in India who remain under trial for extended periods of time for speaking out against the injustices of the Indian State against its most vulnerable citizens. The meeting to record this statement was initiated by Amnesty International Germany India Coordination group, Amnesty Switzerland and InSAF India (International Solidarity for Academic Freedom in India) on the occasion of India’s Republic Day for a collective reading of the preamble of the Indian constitution and saying the names of the BK16 and other imprisoned human rights defenders in India.
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Credits for images/quotes used in the statement …
en | 14min | 2022
The Quint / by Nishtha Gautam
Exclusive interview with lawyer and activist Sudha Bharadwaj, an accused in the Bhima Koregaon case.
Sudha Bharadwaj, lawyer and activist, was granted bail in December 2021 after spending three years in Mumbai’s Byculla prison. One of the 16 accused people in what is being talked about as the Bhima Koregaon case, Bharadwaj is still awaiting a trial.
In this exclusive interview, she talks about freedom, justice, patriotism, constitution and a lot more.
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Mid Day / by Ajaz Ashraf
I Spoke to Sudha Bharadwaj for two hours over the phone. Out on bail after spending over three years in jail, where she had been packed off for her alleged role in the 2018 Koregaon Bhima violence, I presumed a mournful, weary voice would narrate her experiences during incarceration. Or a voice raging against those who scripted her arrest on October 28, 2018. But Bharadwaj can laugh as few can.
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en | 4:53min | 2021
By MidDay
Activist #SudhaBharadwaj accused in the #BhimaKoregaon case has been released from Byculla prison on Thursday. The court had directed that she be released on a bond of Rs 50,000 and two sureties. However, the court has set some other stringent conditions similar to those set for co-accused #VaravaraRao who was granted bail on medical grounds.
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Also read:
● HC disposes plea of eight accused seeking rectification in order denying them bail (Scroll.in / Dec 2021)