Letter to Maharashtra CM for the Immediate Release of Prof Sudha Bharadwaj

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Dear Mr Chief Minister,

We the undersigned request you to order the immediate release of Prof. Sudha Bharadwaj – a civil rights activist who has been in jail since August 2018. She was taken into police custody on 26 August 2018 on suspicion of being involved in Maoist terror activities after Republic TV claimed that she had allegedly written a letter to Maoists and was conspiring to create public disorder and unrest in India. The said channel felt no shame in broadcasting that the elderly Professor was planning to murder the Prime-Minister of India.

Prof. Bharadwaj is a dedicated civil rights activist and a trade union lawyer who has diligently worked for the poor and marginalized. As a general secretary of Chhattisgarh PUCL, she has often led protests against the unfair land acquisition policies of the state. In addition to this, she has campaigned to protect the lives and livelihoods of tribals including those from indigenous Adivasi communities, to secure them land and forest rights and exposing administrative corruption She has been at the forefront in raising her voice against the systematic state oppression and injustices against the downtrodden. She has also been a visiting professor at the National Law University, Delhi, and has impressed students with passionate lectures on law and Poverty.

The arrest and subsequent harassment of Prof. Bharadwaj do not seem to be an isolated attack on an individual but appear to be a part of a planned and systematic agenda of some right-wing groups with vested interests to target various civil rights activists, pro-bono lawyers, and intellectuals who have vehemently criticized the anti-people policies the government. Also, the way these individuals are being maliciously branded as Urban Naxals and anti-nationals on national television debates, especially in times of shrinking democratic spaces is extremely dangerous. Many who have interacted with Prof. Bharadwaj in both professional and personal capacities have been pained to witness this odious attempt to attack a people’s advocate and an elderly professor who has been a vehement supporter of the transformative values of the Indian constitution.

In the opinion of Prof. Aparna Chandra and other leading professors of the National Law University Delhi, “Prof. Sudha Bharadwaj is an embodiment of the best in the academic profession and a fearless critic of governmental lawlessness, an emphatic and empathetic advocate amplifying the voices of those who are rarely heard within the corridors of power, and a beacon for future generations of lawyers in this country. Through her advocacy, her teaching, and her life, Sudha Bharadwaj exemplifies the transformative role of a lawyer in a society like ours. We can only hope to be as brave, insightful, and conscientious as her in our work and our daily lives. Citizens like Sudha Bharadwaj are the reason that our democracy lives and thrives”.

It is worth noting that previously Prof. Bharadwaj had been invited to the National and State judicial academies for her positive contributions to labor and environment law, development, women’s rights, tribal-rights, and access to justice. She had also been nominated to the governing body of the Chhattisgarh State Legal Services Authority. NLU Delhi students feel fortunate to have benefitted from her charismatic academic excellence. Her students can testify her unwavering commitment to the transformative vision of the Indian Constitution and she has constantly emphasized the use of constitutional methods in addressing public grievances and not violence. One wonders, how can a professor who owes unwavering allegiance to the supreme law of this land and Gandhian non-violence can be accused of toppling the government using questionable means.

It is deplorable that this elderly professor and a crusader of people’s rights is being continuously harassed and mistreated by the government agencies on one pretext or other. She has been falsely labeled as Maoist & Naxalite and booked under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and other provisions of the Indian Penal Code, that include but is not limited to sedition (section 124 A), the punishment of criminal conspiracy (section 120 B), unlawful association (section 153 A) and imputations, & assertions prejudicial to national-integration (section 153 B). These sham accusations and trials just to keep these civil rights activists under incarceration flies in the face of several leading Supreme Court judgments wherein the apex court has held that arrest could not be made by police in a routine manner.

This is certainly not the characteristics of the Swaraj that Gandhi and other freedom fighters dreamt of. They did not fight tooth and nail against the colonial rule for an independent India, in which the harassment and arbitrary arrests of activists would become commonplace and where even basic civil liberties would be under threat. Whereas the father of the nation enjoined upon the Indian State to strive to bestow freedom and Swaraj to the poorest and weakest, the current dispensation seems to be doing the opposite. It seems determined in depriving them of their freedom and liberty by arbitrarily arresting and throwing them in dark and filthy dungeons.

The continued incarceration of Prof. Sudha Bharadwaj even during the Covid-19 pandemic is inhumane and unconscionable. Prof. Bharadwaj suffers from various ailments including two severe comorbidities, diabetes, and high blood pressure, and also has a history of pulmonary tuberculosis. This puts her in the category of most vulnerable people facing a high fatality rate if they are infected by the virus. An inmate of Mumbai’s Byculla jail where she is currently lodged has already tested positive for the virus. Despite this, the agencies opposed her interim bail plea by arguing that she is “taking undue benefit” of the pandemic. The state must either prove its charges against her conclusively or set her free. The Socialist Party (India) demands Prof. Sudha Bharadwaj and other political prisoners be released and the charges against them dropped immediately. 

Thank you.

Your sincerely,

1. Shuchita, Service, Socialist Party (India), Sitapur
2. Peehu Pardeshi, Assistant Professor , TISS Mumbai, Mumbai
3. Sumeet Agarwal, Assistant Professor, IIT Delhi, New Delhi
4. Ali Zaidi, Advocate, Supreme Court Of India, New Delhi
5. Prem Prakash Verma, Social Activist, Jharkhand Nagrik Prayas, Ranchi
6. Niveditha, Student, National law school of India university, Bangalore
7. Saba Siddique , Student, Centre of excellence art and design, MUTE Jamshoro Pakistan, Pakistan
8. Sartaj Hussain, Student, Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi
9. John Dayal, Writer and activist, Independent / ALL INDIA PEOPLES FORUM / CARAWAN E MOHABBAT, New Delhi
10. Akhtar Ehtisham, Surgeon, Private Practice, 553 Elsie Ave South Plainfield, New Jersey, USA
11. Suhas Kolhekar, Virologist and Health Rights Activist
, National Alliance of People’s Movements, Pune Maha.
12. Walter Fernandes, Sociologist, NESRC, Guwahati
13. firoz , teacher, delhi
14. Amar Jesani, Medical doctor and Researcher, Independent Consultant, Mumbai
15. Chinu Srinivasan , Health policy, LOCOST, Vadodara
16. R Srivatsan, Independent researcher in political science, Hyderabad
17. Aakanksha Tiwari, Researcher, Citizen consumer and civic Action Group, Chennai
18. Kumkum Roy, teacher
19. Arvind Sivaramakrishnan
20. Rajani, Envrionmental volunteer, Banglore ENV trust, Bangalore
21. Siddharth K J, Independent Researcher, Bengaluru
22. Satya Sivaraman, Journalist and Public Health Worker, countercurrents.org, Chennai
23. Poorvi B, Self-employed, -, Lucknow
24. Anita Rego, Psychiatric Social Worker, Self employed, Hyderabad
25. Shiva Shankar, Academic, Chennai
26. Salil Shetty
27. Aloysius Irudayam, Researcher & Trainer, Institute of Development Education, Action & Studies (IDEAS) , Madurai, Tamil Nadu
28. D Parthasarathy, Academics, Mumbai
29. Radhakanta Barik , Professor Indian Institute of Public Administration, Delhi (retd), Indian Institute of Public Administration, Delhi , Delhi
30. Kanu Parmar, Retired , -, Uk
31. arvind narrain, advocate, bangalore
32. Dr. Vikas Gupta, Organizing SecretaryTeaching, Researc ch and Activist Interventions, All-India Forum for Right to Education, Delhi
33. Joseph Mattam, Emeritus Prof. , Gujarat Vidya Deep, Vadodara
34. Vidya Bhushan Rawat, Writer and Activist, Delhi
35. Aravinda P, Software engineer, Hyderabad
36. Dharmesh Shah, researcher writer and activist, independent , Kerala
37. Ankur Sarin
38. Anuradha Mitra Chenoy, professor, AEPF, Delhi
39. ajay singh, social work , udaipur
40. Dr.K B Obalesha, I demand Immediately release Prof.Sudhabharadwaja , PUCL-KA, BANGALORE
41. Sudhir Chopra , Retired, New Delhi
42. Jagmohan Singh, General Secretary
Association For Democratic Rights Punjab, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Centenary Foundation, Ludhiana Punjab
43. Ajay Balajee , Teacher and social Activist , Cbse school and associated with commonwealth human rights initiative , Madhubani, Bihar
44. uma chakravarti, Retired teacher, DU, Delhi
45. Anil Sadgopal, Scientist and Educationist
46. Kuntal Ghosh, Scientist, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata
47. T.R.Athya, Socialwork, Bahujan Sanvad, M.P.
48. Alishan Jafri, Journalist/ student, Lucknow
49. mohammad imran, Retired Professional Engineer and retired Certified Appraiser, Mr. Mohammad Imran
50. Joya Roy, Freelance Editor, ISS, New Delhi, Tibet House, Nalanda Masters Course, New Delhi, Root Institute, Bodh Gaya, Delhi
51. Rabin Chakraborty, Retired teacher, Individual, Kolkata
52. Kaajal, Homemaker, Hyderabad
53. Aaris Mohammed, Consultant by profession and Trustee of Center for Social and Constitutional Studies., Center for Social and Constitutional Studies, Hyderabad
54. Santanu Chacraverti, Freelance researcher and writer, Kolkata
55. Ghanshyam Shah, social research, Former professor JNU, Delhi, Ahmedabad
56. Shashi Mourya
57. Sagar Rabari, Farmers’ rights activist, Khedu Ekta Manch, Ahmedabad
58. Dr.Parveen Sultana, Psychologist/, Parvevolve, P& T col.Bandlaguda jagir,RR.dist.Hyderabad,Telangana
59. Desingu Mohan Sundaram, Private, New Delhi
60. Sagar Dhara, Environmental engineer, Hyderabad
61. Harsh Kapoor
62. Rajaraman Sundaresan, Independent researcher, NA, Rangmatipadar, Koraput, Odisha
63. George Pulikuthiyil, Human Rights Lawyering
, JANANEETHI, Thrissur, Kerala
64. Sharanya, Cultural activist, NA, Rangmatipadar, Koraput, Odisha
65. Amita, Advocate, Delhi
66. Dheeraj, Development Worker, Nee Delhi
67. achin vanaik, Retd. Professor, University of Delhi, Delhi
68. Kumar Sandeep, Advocate, High Court Patna, former student – TISS Mumbai, Patna High Court, Patna
69. Jayanta Ghosh , Social and environmental activist, Jibon Probaha Trust , Kolkata
70. Narendra Gupta, Community health worker, Rajasthan
71. Padma Velaskar, Academic, Tiss, (Retd Prof), Mumbai
72. M. Maqbool A. Mateen , Social Activist , United Citizens’ Forum , Hyderabad
73. Kamayani Bali Mahabal, Human Rights Activist, Mumbai
74. Mritiunjoy Mohanty, Professor, IIM Calcutta, Kolkata
75. Ningreichon, NPMHR, Delhi
76. usha rao, permculture gardener, Bengaluru
77. rabindranath majumdar, Retired Professor, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, West Bengal
78. Dr. Sarmila Chandra, Doctor, Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, Howrah
79. Prof.P.K.Sarkar, Retired Medical Professor, Amader Haspatal, , Bankura, WB
80. PARTHO SAROTHI RAY, associate professor, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata, Kolkata
81. Sharada Ganesh, Bengaluru
82. Renuka Srinivasan, Delhi
83. K.Chakradhar Rao, Retired Professor, Osmania University, Telangana Save Education Cmittee& All India Save Education Committee., Hyderabad.
84. Vidya Dinker, Freelance media professional, INSAF , Mangalore
85. Sheeva Dubey, Researcher, Youth for Unity & Voluntary Action (YUVA), Mumbai
86. Vasavi, teaching and research, Punarchith, Chamarajanagar Dt
87. Pankaj Pushkar, Researcher, Academician, Bharat Jan Andolan, National Front for Tribal Self-rule, Delhi
88. Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR), Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR) Delhi Sector, New Delhi
89. Kritika, Student
90. Meghna Bhaskar , Law Student , National Law University, Delhi , Gurugram, Haryana
91. Yoshit Jain, Law Student, National Law University, Delhi, Delhi
92. Somanshu Shukla, Student, National Law University, Delhi, Lucknow
93. Ishita Khanna, 1st year law student , National Law University Delhi , Sector 14 Dwarka New Delhi
94. Ayushi Pathak , Law student
95. Shreya Parashar, Student
96. Maullin Sapra, Corporate manager, Reckitt Benckiser, Gurgaon
97. Drishti
98. Anjali mishra, Teacher , Teach for india , Mumbai
99. Neha Jhunjhunuwala, National Law University, Delhi, Delhi
100. Manisha Bhau, Student, NLU Delhi
101. Anushka Gupta, Student, National Law University, Delhi, Bangalore
102. Lakshana Ramakrishnan
103. Najrul Islam, law student, National Law University, Delhi, Delhi
104. Deepika Parya
105. Shruti Tiwari, Student, National law University, Delhi, Sector – 14, Dwarka, New Delhi
106. Anshika, Student
107. Shreyasi Tripathi, Student, National Law University, Delhi
108. Himanshu Mishra , Fourth Year Law Student , National Law University Delhi , Jaipur
109. Ekta Tomar, Student, National Law University, Delhi, Noida, Uttar Pradesh
110. Dr Hiren Gohain., Retired university professor, Nil, Guwahati-3
111. Lavesh verma, Student, National law university , New Delhi
112. LITU MINZ, SOCIAL WORKER TO SAVE ENVIRONMENT AND RIGHT TO LIFE.
, BIRSA CAR, ODISHA
113. Nipun Kalra, Student, NLUD, Delhi
114. Ayan Gupta, Student, National Law University Delhi, Delhi
115. Pritam, National Law University Delhi
116. Shashank SR, Graduate in Public Policy and Governance, Tata Institute of Social Sciences – Hyderabad, Bengaluru
117. Kishor Kumar Panchal, Student , National Law University, Delhi, Delhi
118. athira, student, kolkata
119. Ulka Mahajan , Social activist, Sarvahara jan Andolan , Raigad Maharashtra
120. Purandar Bhaduri
121. Harsh Panwar, Student, NLUD, Delhi
122. Krishna Raj Pandey, Consultant, Independent, Hyderabad
123. SR Darapuri , Retired I.P.S.Officer, All India Peoples Front , Uttar Pradesh
124. Malathy
125. Arati Chokshi, None, None, Varkala
126. Dunu Roy, Engineer, Hazards Centre, Delhi
127. Vandana
128. Guru M, Social Sector, Bangalore
129. Asokendu Sengupta , Retd govt employee
130. Ashoke Chatterjee
131. Sagar Dhara, Hyderabad

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