UAPA

Bombay HC Grants Bail to Journalist-Activist Gautam Navlakha in Bhima Koregaon Case https://www.newsclick.in/bombay-hc-grants-bail-journalist-activist-gautam-navlakha-bhima-koregaon-case Newsclick Report | 19 Dec 2023

Initially, the special NIA court dismissed Navlakha's bail plea in September last year, leading him to approach the High Court. The High Court referred the bail application back to a special court for a fresh hearing, which eventually reaffirmed the bail rejection. However, after a prolonged legal tussle, the Bombay High Court extended bail to Navlakha on Tuesday, mirroring the conditions imposed on his co-accused, Anand Teltumbde and Mahesh Raut. Notably, the court stayed the bail order for three weeks, allowing the National Investigation Agency a window to appeal the decision before the Supreme Court.

Navlakha had been under house arrest in Navi Mumbai since November 2022, following the Supreme Court's ruling citing his advanced age and medical reasons.

'Planted' Evidence Against Stan Swamy? NDTV Accesses Latest Explosive Report By US Lab | No Spin   Dec 13, 2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eb00mXjiSvs 
In July last year, Father Stan Swamy, the activist-priest who was arrested for alleged terror links, died of deteriorating health while in custody sparking local and global condemnation. The National Investigation Agency, which was probing Swamy in the Bhima Koregoan case, was adamant of the charges against him, which centred around letters between the priest and supposed Maoist leaders. But now, a new report by an American forensic firm accessed exclusively by NDTV raises serious questions over those charges, which finds that that scores of so-called Maoist documents were planted on the computer of Father Stan Swamy by an unknown attacker.

Just in case: On courts and the tenability of the Bhima Koregaon case August 12, 2022

https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/just-in-case-the-hindu-editorial-on-courts-and-the-tenability-of-the-bhima-koregaon-case/article65758139.ece

. The Bhima Koregaon case is an off-shoot of disturbances that took place during a commemorative event on December 31, 2017, in Pune. It was used to rope in lawyers and activists and build a case of an alleged Maoist plot to overthrow the government. There are credible reports that electronic evidence in the case could have been planted using spyware to implicate the accused. It is time the courts examined the core question whether the case itself is tenable or one fabricated to corner some activists. The judiciary should not countenance the prolonged incarceration of anyone in a case of doubtful validity.

Why did India's media ignore Wired story on police planting evidence against Bhima Koregaon activists? https://www.newslaundry.com/2022/07/14/why-did-indias-media-ignore-wired-story-on-police-planting-evidence-against-bhima-koregaon-activists Much of the legacy media is doing itself a disservice by neglecting big-impact stories and small-town staff.
By Kalpana Sharma 14 Jul, 2022

SentinelOne, has released the startling finding that the hackers who broke into the phones and laptops of the activists did so on the directions of none other than the Pune police, the very people who had announced the “conspiracy” for which the BK 16 were picked up and incarcerated.

Although the company has identified the Pune police official linked to the hacking, it hasn’t made their details public yet. It is expected to do so at the Black Hat security conference, slated to be held in Las Vegas, United States, in August.

Such a story ought to have triggered a major response from the Indian media. After all, it was reported not by an unknown media organisation, but by a well-respected tech magazine.

Surprisingly, barring a few newspapers like the Telegraph and the Hindustan Times that reported on the investigation, the news was largely ignored by the Indian media with the exception of independent digital news platforms.