We, the undersigned concerned citizens, are extremely perturbed at the increasing tendency of the Government, through its agencies, to use excessive power to curb the voice of the people, which is the very essence of democracy.
The work of Lawyer’s Collective in general and that of Indira Jaising and Anand Grover in particular, has contributed to changing the lives not just of individuals but of citizens of a democratic republic. They have not only represented the rights of individuals and communities such as slum dwellers, workers, trade unions, prisoners, SC/ST associations, Bhopal Gas tragedy victims, women, LGBTQ+ and other marginalized communities as lawyers, but have also contributed immensely to the discourse of human rights and state accountability as public intellectuals.
They represent a commitment to the country that our founding leaders envisioned and that is enshrined in our Constitution. They have fearlessly exercised their right to not just freedom of speech and expression but the fundamental right of every citizen to hold the Government and Institutions of the day accountable. This is a right that every constitutional democracy must seek to protect for its citizenry.
The registration of an FIR against them under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code, on the very allegations that are already under challenge before the High Court of Bombay, is a clear sign of executive haste and overreach. Pillorying them in this manner would deprive vulnerable sections of society of the benefit of representation of such high caliber and commitment. We do not wish to see a future where the voices of people such as Indira Jaising and Anand Grover are curtailed and the attempt of the State to do so must be strongly criticized. We must today as citizens of a free country, stand with those who have, for the last four decades stood with us.
We call upon the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Central Bureau of Investigation and the courts of law to desist from the unjustified and vindictive use of Criminal Law on the likes of Indira Jaising, Anand Grover or any citizen of this country.
Signatories:
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Anju Dodiya, Artist, Mumbai |
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Atul Dodiya, Artist,Mumbai |
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Amar Kanwar, Artist, Film-maker New Delhi |
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Arundhathi Nag,Theatre Director &Actor,Bengaluru |
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Atul Kumar, Theatre Director &Actor, Mumbai |
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Ava Bhavsar, Artist, Ahmedabad |
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Amol K Patil, Artist, Mumbai |
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Amir Rizvi, Artist, Mumbai |
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Archana Hande, Artist, Mumbai |
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Anant Joshi, Artist, Mumbai |
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Anuradha Kapur, Theatre maker, New Delhi |
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Ammu Joseph, Senior Journalist, Bengaluru |
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Ajay Noronha, Cinematographer/Filmmaker, Mumbai |
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Anjali Monteiro, Filmmaker and academic, Mumbai (TISS) |
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Anjali Gopalan, human rights and animal rights activist, Naz Foundation |
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Abhro Banerjee, Film editor |
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Aparna Andhare, Museum Professional, Mumbai & Jaipur |
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Aditi Ray, Journalist, Kolkata |
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Anand Patwardhan, Filmmaker, Mumbai |
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Arpita Singh, Artist, New Delhi (Padma Shri) |
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Anjum Singh, Artist, New Delhi |
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Abhijeet Tamhane, Art critic, Mumbai |
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Arijit Bhattacharyya, Artist, West Bengal |
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Arunesh, Sangama, Resource Centre on Sexuality, Bengaluru |
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Antara Dev Sen, Journalist, New Delhi |
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Anjali Damania, Advocate, Mumbai |
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Avijit Mukul Kishore, Filmmaker, Mumbai |
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Anup Surendranath, Lawyer, Professor, Delhi |
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Aparna, President, IFTU |
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Anima Muyarath, Advocate Kerala |
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Armaity Irani, Advocate, Mumbai |
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Avantika Mehra, IIT Mumbai |
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Advait Pednekar, Mumbai |
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Anuradha Kalhan, academic, Pune |
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Anita Rampal, Academic, New Delhi |
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Aileen Marquez, Advocate, Mumbai |
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Dr Bernard Imhasly, Journalist, Mumbai |
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Bharatesh G D, Visual Artist, Bangalore |
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Behroze Gandhy, Filmmaker, London |
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Balachandran Ramiah, Investments, Mumbai |
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Bharati Kapadia, Artist, Mumbai |
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Bina Sarkar Ellias, Poet, Editor & Publisher, Bombay |
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Babu Eshwar Prasad, Artist, Bangalore |
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Brinelle D’Souza, TISS, PUCL, ICWM, Mumbai |
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Chitra Palekar, Film Writer and Director, Mumbai |
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Charles Williams, BPO Operations, Mumbai |
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Chhatrapati Dutta, Artist, Kolkata |
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Chitra Joshi Academic, Delhi |
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Dhruvi Acharya, Visual Artist, Mumbai |
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Dilip Ranade, Artist, Thane |
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Diksha Sharma, Filmmaker, Mumbai |
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Danish Husain, Theatre Artist, Mumbai |
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Dibeyendu Ganguly, Journalist, Mumbai |
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Deepti Gopinath, Secretary, Indian Airports Employees Union, Mumbai |
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Francis Pullambra, Self‐employed, Mumbai |
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Franklyn D’souza, former President, Hindustan Lever Employees Union, Mumbai |
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George Jose, Academic, Mumbai |
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Gopalji Pradhan, Professor, Hindi School of Letters, Ambedkar University, Delhi |
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Gayatri Kodikal, Artist and Writer, Rotterdam |
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Geeta Kapur, Art historian, New Delhi |
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V Geetha, Scholar on feminism and caste, Publisher & Co-director, Tara Books, Chennai |
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Gayatri Singh, Senior Advocate, Mumbai |
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Geeta Seshu, Journalist, Mumbai |
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Gautam Mody, General Secretary, NTUI |
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Hardik Doshi, Investment Fund Advisor, Mumbai |
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Hussain Indorewala, Asst. Professor & Architect, Mumbai |
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Indu Chandrasekhar, Publisher, Tulika Books,Delhi |
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Ina Puri, Art Promoter, New Delhi |
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Ira Bhaskar, Professor, New Delhi |
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Javed Akhtar, Writer, Mumbai |
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Jitish Kallat, Artist, Mumbai |
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Jhelum Paranjape, Dancer, Teacher & Choreographer, Mumbai |
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Jahangir Jani, Artist, Mumbai |
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Justin Ponmany, Visual Artist, Mumbai |
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Jyotsna Murthy, Entrepreneur, Bangalore |
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Jyoti Punwani, Journalist, Mumbai |
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Kausik Mukhopadhyay, Artist, Mumbai |
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KP Jayasankar, Filmmaker & Academic, Mumbai (TISS) |
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Krishna Rao, Independent Consultant, Bangalore |
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Krishnapriya C P, Visual artist/Curator, Chennai |
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Kumkum Sangari, Professor, New Delhi |
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Kamini Tanka, Professor, New Delhi |
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Karuna Nundy, Advocate, New Delhi |
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Kirti Jain, Theatre, Delhi |
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Keval Arora, Academic, Delhi |
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Kavita Singh, Art Historian, Professor, School of Arts and Aesthetics, JNU, New Delhi |
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V S Krishna, Human Rights Forum (HRF) Andhra Pradesh |
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K. Anuradha, Human Rights Forum, Andhra Pradesh |
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K.Sudha, Human Rights Forum, Andhra Pradesh |
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Kritika Agarwal, Advocate, Mumbai |
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Lara Jesani, Advocate, Mumbai |
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Lubaina Rangwala, Urban Planner, Mumbai |
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LN Tallur, Artist, Koteshwara |
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Laxmi Murthy, Journalist, Bengaluru |
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Madhushree Dutta, Filmmaker |
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Meeta Jain, Architect, Bangalore |
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Mansore, Artist & Filmmaker, Bengaluru |
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Meera Devidayal, Artist, Mumbai |
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Mansi Bhatt, Artist, Mumbai |
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Mandira Mitra, Advocate, New Delhi |
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Maya Rao, Theatre artist, Delhi |
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Mohan Rao, Professor (retired), Bangalore |
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Mithu Sen, Artist, New Delhi |
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Mamta Murthy Filmmaker, Mumbai |
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Mitra Mukherjee Parikh, Academic, Mumbai |
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Mukta Srivastav, NAPM, Mumbai |
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Meena Gopal, Academic, TISS |
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Milind Champanerkar, author and activist, Pune |
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Mohua Ray, Artist and art educator, Mumbai |
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Dr Mathew Abraham, Mumbai |
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Mini Mathew, Advocate, Mumbai |
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Nilima Sheikh, Artist, Vadodara |
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Naseeruddin Shah, Actor, Mumbai |
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Nityanand Jayaraman. Journalist & Social Activist |
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Neeladri Bhattacharya, Historian, Delhi |
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Nimi Ravindran, Producer, Writer, Director, Bangalore |
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Neera Adarkar, Architect, Mumbai |
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Nancy Adajania, Curator and cultural theorist, Mumbai |
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Oli Ghosh, Artist and Art Educationist, Mumbai |
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Pushpamala N, Artist, Bangalore |
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Priyanka Jain, Visual Artist, Delhi |
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Prajakta Potnis, Artist, Mumbai |
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Persis Anklesaria, Retired, Mumbai |
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Premjish Achari, Art Historian/Curator, Delhi |
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Poorna Swami, Choreographer & Writer, Bangalore |
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Paramjit Singh, Artist, New Delhi |
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Priyanka Raja, Gallerist, Kolkata |
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Prabhavathi Meppayil, Artist, Bangalore |
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Pravin Nadkar, Trade Union Centre of India (TUCI), Maharashtra |
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Preeti Sharma Menon, AAP |
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Partho Sarothi Ray, academic & activist, Kolkata |
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Prabodh Parikh, Poet & Writer, Mumbai |
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Pervin Jehangir, NAPM, Mumbai |
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Pradeep Mandhyan, Advocate Mumbai |
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Rajani Iyer, Senior Advocate, Mumbai |
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Ratna Pathak Shah, Actor, Mumbai |
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Reena Kallat, Artist, Mumbai |
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Ravi Kulkarni, Lawyer, Mumbai |
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Rohan Shivkumar, Academic, Architect & Urban |
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Designer, Mumbai |
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Rakhi Peswani, Artist, Bangalore |
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Ranjit Kandalgaonkar, Visual Artist, Mumbai |
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Rashna Imhasly-Gandhy, Psychologist, Mumbai |
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Rina Kamath, Legal Practitioner, Mumbai |
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Radhi Parekh, Designer, Mumbai |
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Reetha Balsavar, Theatre, Mumbai |
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Ram Rahman, Photographer, New Delhi |
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Rakesh Shukla, Advocate, Supreme Court, Delhi |
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Rekha Mammen, Academic, TISS |
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Dr. Raj Kumar Mazinder, Asst. Professor, Dept. of |
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Visual Arts, Assam University |
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Rabindra Hazari, Advocate, Mumbai |
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Ritambhara, Journalist, New Delhi |
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Rahul Kamerkar, Advocate, Mumbai |
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Radhika Singha, Professor, New Delhi |
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Rana Behal, Academic, Delhi |
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Rasna Bhushan, Art Critic, Hyderabad |
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Radhika Wader, Artist, Vadodara |
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Rupande Pannalal, Mumbai |
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Rajiv Dhimri, General Secretary, AICCTU |
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Saba Dewan, Filmmaker, Gurgaon |
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Shakuntala Kulkarni, Artist, Mumbai |
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Shilpa Gupta, Artist, Mumbai |
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Surekha, Artist, Bangalore |
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Sandhya Srinivasan, Journalist, Mumbai |
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Sheela Gowda, Artist, Bangalore |
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P Sainath, Journalist,writer, founder editor, People’s Archive of Rural India |
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Sheela Ramanathan, Advocate, Coimbatore |
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T V Santhosh, Artist, Mumbai |
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Suresh Rajamani, Sound Recordist, Mumbai |
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Sankalp Meshram, Filmmaker & Editor, Mumbai (National Award‐winner) |
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Sameer Khedekar, IT, Mumbai |
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Shweta Wagh, Asst. Professor, Architect, Mumbai |
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Shalini Sawhney, Art Promoter, Mumbai |
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Sanjana Shelat, Artist, Mumbai |
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Shashi Mehta, Designer of Truth, Mumbai |
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Sudipta Ghosh, Service, Bangalore |
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Shuchi Kapoor, Photojournalist, Chennai |
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Shireen Gandhy, Gallerist, Mumbai |
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Sudharak Olwe, Social documentary Photographer |
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(Padma Shri) |
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Sanjeev Khandekar, Artist, Poet & Writer, Mumbai |
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Sujay Saple, Performance Maker, Mumbai |
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Sachin Kamani, Theatre Manager, Mumbai |
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Sunil Shanbag, Theatre, Mumbai |
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Sameera Iyengar, Theatre, Mumbai |
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Simantini Dhuru, Film‐Maker & Educationist, Mumbai |
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Sajal Sarkar, Visual Artist, New Jersey |
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S N Sujith, Artist, Mumbai |
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Sonya Gill, womens’ rights Activist, Mumbai |
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Suman Samajpati, Artist, Kolkata |
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Sourav Roy Chowdhury, Artist, Kolkata |
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Sherna Dastur, Graphic Designer, New Delhi |
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Sopan Muller, Filmmaker, Mumbai |
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Sukirat Anand, Punjabi Writer and Journalist, Jalandhar |
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Sushma Veerapa, Filmmaker, Bangalore |
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Sunanda Bhat, Filmmaker, Bangalore |
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Shukla Sawant Professor, School of Arts and Aesthetics, JNU, New Delhi |
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Susanta Mandal, artist, Delhi |
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Satyajit Dave, Historian, Mumbai |
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Sarah Kapadia, Advocate, Mumbai |
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Suren Uppal, Advocate, Delhi |
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Sumangala Biradar, Advocate, Mumbai |
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Sree Goswami, Gallerist, Mumbai |
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Surabhi Sharma, Filmmaker, Mumbai |
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Sanjay Singhvi, Senior Advocate & President, Trade Union Centre of India (TUCI) |
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Sukumar Damle, National Secretary, AITUC |
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Saumya Uma, Professor, Delhi |
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Subhashini Ali, Politician, Lucknow |
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Suhaas Ahuja, actor & singer, Mumbai |
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Shriprakash, Film maker |
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Satyen K Bordoloi, Film maker, Mumbai |
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Srikant Modak, Journalist, Mumbai |
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Stephen Rego, journalist, Mumbai |
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Sachidanand Shetty, restaurateur, Mumbai |
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Teju Jhaveri, Graphic Designer, Mumbai |
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Tamal Mitra, Artist & Teaching, Mumbai |
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Teesta Setalvad, human rights activist and Journalist, Mumbai |
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Trideep Pais, Advocate, New Delhi |
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Uttam Ghosh, Artist, Mumbai |
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Usha Anna Abraham, Mumbai |
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Vaishali Narkar, Artist, Mumbai |
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Varna Balakrishnan, Research Fellow, Karwan e Mohabbat, New Delhi |
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Vinod Shetty, Lawyer, Mumbai |
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Vickram Crishna, Private Citizen, Mumbai |
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Vivan Sundaram, Artist, New Delhi |
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Varunika Saraf, Artist, Hyderabad |
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Vasudha Nagaraj, Advocate, Hyderabad |
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Veena Johari, Advocate, Mumbai |
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Vineesh Amin, Artist, Bengaluru |
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Veena Gowda, Lawyer, Mumbai |
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Vivek Monteiro, Secretary, CITU, Maharashtra |
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N.Venugopal, Journalist, Hyderabad |
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N. Vasudevan, President, NTUI, Mumbai |
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Vasudha Sawaikar, Ph.d student, Goa University |
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Vidya Das Arora, Academic, Delhi |
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Vikas Rawal, Professor, New Delhi |
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Yardena Kurulkar, Artist, Mumbai |
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Yunus Khimani, Artist, Jaipur |
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Yusuf, Artist, Bhopal |
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Yug Chaudhry, Advocate, Mumbai |
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Zoya Hassan, Political Scientist, New Delhi |
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Zasha Colah, Curator, Mumbai |
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