In the world's largest democracy, Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Press and
Freedom of Speech come at a heavy price.



Relentless harassment of tehelka.com that led to its closure, Income Tax raids
on Outlook and its editor, physical assaults on journalists for "making attempts
to project Gujarat as a violent and disturbed State", cases against
social-activist Nafisa Ali, The Indian Express and Divya Bhaskar for allegedly
fomenting communal passion and now a fraudulent case against Mallika Sarabhai.

The powers-that-be are increasingly using law as an instrument of oppression of
voices of dissent putting at stake the very essence of democracy. The harassment
of accomplished classical dancer Mallika by a regime in Gujarat which has
committed horrendous crimes of genocide and has tried to use every means to
prevent justice to prevail is yet another incident.

She is being hounded, and also "framed" in criminal cases, because she had
initiated a Public Interest Litigation in the Supreme Court of India against
Gujarat government for the genocide it had committed last year; and has
persisted in not withdrawing the case.

After the state sponsored carnage in Gujarat in February and March 2002 one of
the first voices to be raised in protest was that of the accomplished classical
dancer. With rare eloquences, courage and passion, she express her anguish at
the massacre and her words stirred the conscience of the nation.

The recent slew of cases that have been filed against here are blatant
political vendetta by the Government of Gujarat. The attempt clearly is to try
to crush her spirit and silence her voice.

We, the undersigned, strongly condemn the partisan and malicious use of state
authority against Mallika Sarabhai and to express strong solidarity and
admiration for her fearless espousal of the truth.



Abhilasha Kumari, Prof, Delhi

Admiral Ramdas, Retd Admiral Indian Navy, Mumbai

Amit Sengupta, Senior Journalist, Delhi

Anand Patwardhan , Filmmaker, Mumbai

Aniket Alam, Journalist, Hyderabad

Anil Nauriya, Supreme Court Advocate, Delhi

Aniz Azmi, Theatre Director, Delhi



Anjum Rajabali, Journalist, Bombay

Apoorvanand,

Arun Gandhi , Founder and President, M.K.Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence , USA
Arvind Koshal

Ashok Lal, Playwright/Poet

Asad Zaidi, Poet, Delhi

BG Verghese

Bela Bhatia

Bhinish Shakeel

Cedric Prakash, Director, Prashant, Ahmedabad

Deb Mukerji, Ambassador
Digant Oza, Senior Journalist, Ahmadabad
Dilip D'Souza.

Ela Gandhi, Member of Parliament, South Africa, Mahatma Gandhi's Grand Daughter

George Verghese, Senior Journalist, Delhi
Gita Bharali, Research Associate,North Eastern Social Research Centre, Guwahati
Githa Hariharan Writer, Delhi

Gulammohammed Sheikh, Artist, Baroda

Harsh Mander, Social Activist, Writer, Delhi

Hiren Gandhi, Samvedan Cultural Programme, Ahmedabad
Javed Mir, ActionAid, Kutch
Jerry Almeida, ActionAid, Delhi
Kamal Mitra Chenoy Prof., Delhi
KN Panikkar , Senior Historian, Kerala
Kuldeep Nayyar, Senior Journalist, Delhi

Lolita Ramdas, Activist, Mumbai

Loveleen Misra- TV Actress, Mumbai

Madhu Kishwar, Activist, Delhi
Mahesh Bhatt, Filmmaker, Mumbai
Mohd.Azam, Kova, Hyderabad

MK Venu, Senior Editor, Economic Times

MS Sreelekha

Mustafa Qureshi, Photo Journalist

Nafisa Ali, Actress, Activist

Neelabh, Journalist, Delhi

Nilima Sheikh , Artists, Baroda

PC Sen

Poornima Joshi, Journalist, Delhi

Praful Bidwai, Senior Journalist

Prashant Bhushan, Senior Advocate

Prashant Sen

Rajkumar Hans, Professor History, Baroda

Rajneesh Verma

Ranjani Mazumdar, Filmmaker, Delhi

Rasna Bhushan, Artist, Hyderabad

Rev. Valson Thampu, Delhi

Sabeena Gadihoke , Filmmaker, Delhi

Sabina Kidwai, Filmmaker, Delhi

Sanjay Barbora, Research Associate,North Eastern Social Research Centre,
Guwahati
Saroop Dhruv, DARSHAN, Ahmedabad
Seema Nayyar, Activist, Delhi

Shabnam Hashmi, Activist, Delhi

Shakeel Ahmad, Sadbhawna ke Sipahi

Shohini Ghosh, Filmmaker, Delhi

Shubha Mudgal, Singer, Delhi

SP Udaykumar, Activist, Chennai
Sudhir Chandra, Europe

Suma Josson , Filmmaker, Mumbai

Sunil Dutt, MP

Syeda Hamid, Women Activist, Delhi

T. Jayaraman, Scientist, Chennai

Tarun Tejpal, Senior Journalist, Delhi

Vagish Jha, Sadbhawna ke Sipahi

Vidya Bhushan Rawat, Social Activist

Walter Fernandes , Director, North Eastern Social Research Centre, Guwahati
Wilfred D'Costa, INSAF, Ahmedabad




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