A differently abled former lecturer of English at Ram Lal Anand College, Delhi University, Dr. Saibaba has been a prominent voice against State excesses. He was particularly vocal about Operation Green Hunt, a drive against alleged Naxalites, where underprivileged sections fell prey to brutal assault by State forces.
Sections 13 (unlawful activities), 18 (conspiracy), 20 (member of a terrorist gang) and 38-39 (support to a terrorist organisation) of the UAPA. Section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC.
A student activist, Gulshifa Fatima was jailed for allegedly inciting violence during the February 2020 Delhi violence. She remains behind bars at Tihar jail. After she alleged harassment by jail authorities, a Delhi court directed jail authorities to change the staff if necessary.
Sections 147 (rioting), 186 (obstructing a public servant from doing his duty), 188 (disobedience to order), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant), 283 (danger or obstruction in a public way), 109 (abetment) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code, UAPA
Advocate Surendra Gadling is a human rights lawyer, best known for defending Prof. GN Saibaba and activist Arun Fereira. He is the president of Indian Association of People's Lawyers (IAPL) and has been at the forefront of the quest for justice for Dalits, tribals and other marginalised people. Hailing from a Dalit community himself, Adv. Gadling played a crucial role in the pursuit of justice in the aftermath of Khairlanji massacres, Ramabai Nagar agitations, cases pertaining to fake encounters etc.
Sec. 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), Sec. 505(1)(B) (public mischief), Sec. 121 (waging, or attempting to wage war, or abetting waging of war, against the Government of India), Sec. 121A IPC (conspiracy to commit offences, waging war against the state), Sec. 124A (sedition) of the IPC, and several sections under UAPA.
He is a comedian who spent over a month in jail for a joke he did not crack. Munawar Faruqui was arrested in the middle of his comedy show by the Indore Police on complaints by a Hindutva outfit Hind Rakshak Sanghathan for allegedly making indecent jokes about Hindu Gods. His arrest led to a social media uproar as the Indore Police accepted too, that no jokes about Hinduism were cracked. During his performance in Hyderabad in August, 2022, around 50 people were taken into preventive custody when they reached the venue of a show by the stand-up comedian. Among the people arrested were a number of Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha (BJYM) workers. Following this show, he was denied permission to hold shows in Bangaluru and Delhi. While the Bengaluru police said that that the show’s organisers did not obtain the necessary permissions to hold the show, Delhi police said that the possible impact of his shows on communal harmony in the area was why he was not allowed to hold the show.
Sections 295 A (deliberate, malicious intention of outraging religious feelings), 298 (deliberate intention to wound religious feelings), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection, in view of the pandemic), 188 (disobey orders promulgated by public servants) and 34 (acting together in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.
The journalist, activist and educationist is also the secretary of Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP). As a journalist Setalvad has written for multiple publications since 1983. Her coverage of the communal violence in Mumbai in 1992-93 set the tone for much of her work as an activist. In 1993, she co-founded the magazine Communalism Combat with her husband and fellow human rights defender Javed Anand. CJP was founded in 2002 in wake of the communal violence that broke out in Gujarat. CJP, through Teesta Setalvad was the second petitioner in the Zakia Jafri case that sought to pin accountability for failure to control the violence on authorities in the state at the time. Setalvad was detained from her Mumbai home by a unit of the Gujarat ATS on June 25, just a day after the Supreme Court dismissed the petition in the Zakia Jafri case. She was taken to Ahmedabad where she was remanded to police custody by a magistrate. After a long legal battle, Setalvad was finally granted interim bail by the Supreme Court, and released from Ahmedabad's Sabarmati Jail.
194 (Giving or fabricating false evidence with intent to procure conviction of capital offence), 211 (False charge of offence made with intent to injure), 218 (Public servant framing incorrect record or writing with intent to save person from punishment or property from forfeiture), 468 (Forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (Using as genuine a forged document or electronic record) read with 120 B (Criminal Conspiracy)
An activist and poet, Dr. Varavara Rao has been targeted by the State since the 1970s. He has been in the crosshairs of the Andhra Pradesh government, and was also hounded during the Emergency declared by Indira Gandhi. The octogenarian was most recently implicated in the Bhima-Koregaon case and has once again been incarcerated for months. He was repeatedly refused permanent bail on medical grounds despite his advanced age, a bout of Covid-19, and a progressive deterioration in his health. Finally, the Supreme Court granted him bail on medical grounds in August 2022, deleting the requirement for surrender put forward by the Bombay High Court when it had previously granted him temporary bail.
Section 124 A (Sedition) of the Indian Penal Code, sections 38 and 39 (support to a terrorist organisation) of UAPA
The independent Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Vadgam constituency in Gujarat, was arrested by Assam Police in connection with two tweets containing allegedly offensive content against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Dalit rights activist-turned-politician was arrested with scant regard to procedures surrounding arrest of a sitting MLA, and taken to Assam the following day. After he got bail in the case he was re-arrested in connection with a case where he stands accused of assaulting a woman officer of the Assam Police.
Twitter case: IPC sections 120 B (criminal conspiracy), 153 A (promoting enmity between groups), 295 A (outraging and insulting religious beliefs), 504 (insult with intent to provoke) and 505 (public mischief). Assault case: IPC sections 294 (obscene acts and songs), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging duty) and 354 (outraging the modesty of a woman).
Khalid Saifi is a member of United Against Hate. He was implicated in the February 2020 Delhi violence case after being accused of dropping Delhi violence accused Tahir Hussain outside a building on February 27 and then seen entering the building with Umar Khalid.
IPC sections 109 and 114 (abetment), 147, 148, (rioting),149 (unlawful assembly), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), 186 (obstructing a public servant from doing his duty), 212 (harbouring offender), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant), 395 (dacoity), 427 (causing mischief), 435, 436 (causing mischief by fire), 452, 454 (trespassing), 505 (public mischief), 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy)
A Kashmiri Journalist who covers politics and human rights for the Srinagar based monthly magazine Kashmir Narrator. He is also the recipient of the John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award by American National Press Club. After doing a story titled ‘The Rise of Burhan Wani’, he was detained on August 31, 2018, by the Police on charges of providing support to militants.
Criminal conspiracy and section 19 (harbouring and supporting known terrorists) of UAPA. Also booked under Public Safety Act (PSA) in April 2022.