Mumbai: The bail plea of Jesuit priest and tribal rights activist Fr Stan Swamy (83), arrested in the Elgar Parishad case, has been rejected by the special National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday.
The NIA had opposed his bail plea and submitted that there was sufficient evidence against him and the offence was grave. It also stated that there was “deep rooted consipiracy”. Swamy was arrested on October 8.
However, in his bail plea, Swamy denied the allegations. He mentioned that the Persecuted Political Prisoners Solidarity Committee, which the NIA had alleged was a frontal organisation of CPM, was one of the most prominent human rights organisations in Jharkhand providing legal aid.
Reacting to the development, Fr Jerome Stanislaus D’ Souza SJ President Jesuits in India said, “We are saddened that Fr. Stan Swamy has been denied bail today, by the Sessions Court Judge in Mumbai. However, we continue to hope and pray that justice will prevail, and Fr. Stan will be released soon and acquitted after a fair trial, as we have a deep faith in the Constitution of India and in the judiciary.”
“We pray to God for strength and courage to bear this painful verdict. Also, we pray for Adv. Sharif Sheik, our Sessions Court lawyer, and his junior Adv. Kritiga Agarwal who relentlessly worked for the release of Fr. Stan on bail. We also gratefully remember, with the assurances of our prayers, Adv. Mihir Desai, Adv. Susan and all those who accompanied us through this long and painful process. Particularly, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all who stood by us in our fight for justice and request you to continue your efforts, especially through prayer. May God bless you all abundantly!”