A special court in Mumbai March 11 deferred its order on the bail plea of tribal rights activist Jesuit Father Stan Swamy, plunging his confreres and supporters into gloom.
“Yes sad, and bad indeed,” the Jesuit Conference of South Asia reacted to the news. “The wait, the anxiety, the struggle, the hope continues,” it said in a WhatsApp message sent to friends and supporters of the 83-year-old Jesuit activist.
Asserting their belief that truth and justice will prevail, the conference that represents more than 4,000 Jesuit in South Asia, said they will continue to pray for Father Swamy’s release in an unbroken relentless spirit.
The court was likely to pass the order on March 15 but deferred it as the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed some additional documents and Father Swamy’s lawyer sought time to respond.
Father Swamy, currently lodged in Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai, was arrested on Oct. 8, 2020, by the NIA, from his residence near Ranchi, eastern India.
In his bail plea, the Jesuit had said that he was being targeted by the central agency due to the nature of his writings and work about caste and land struggles of the people of India, and violation of democratic rights of the marginalized citizens of the country.
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