Fundamental Rights

Over 500 prominent signatories write to CJI urging that the government answer questions related to Pegasus spyware scandal

The Leaflet

OVER five hundred individuals and groups have endorsed an open letter to Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana urging the immediate intervention of the Supreme Court of India on matters pertaining to the Indian end of the international Pegasus spyware scandal.

The letter requests the Supreme Court to demand of the Government of India and the NSO time-bound answers to the several pressing questions regarding the state-sponsored cyber-warfare that has been waged against Indian citizens, given the revelations of the Pegasus Project. This was an international collaborative investigation conducted by several international media and research organisations.

The letter appeals to the Supreme Court to declare a moratorium on the export, sale, transfer, and use of Pegasus in India. 

The signatories said they were shocked by media reports that Pegasus spyware a military-grade malware sold by the Israeli firm NSO only to whetted governments, was used to also target and surveil women students, academics, journalists, human rights defenders, lawyers, and victims of sexual violence.

They were aggrieved by the findings of the Pegasus Project that the Supreme Court woman employee and members of her family were made a target of Pegasus surveillance after she had filed an affidavit complaining of sexual harassment and victimisation against the then CJI Ranjan Gogoi (now a member of the Rajya Sabha from the ruling party) in April 2019.

The signatories requested the Supreme Court to adopt a gender-just sexual harassment policy in the Supreme Court and data protection and privacy policy that ensures that protection from such cyber warfare is a basic feature of the independence of the judiciary.

Signatories noted that concerns for gender equality and human rights were inextricably linked to the assurance of the right to privacy and protection from surveillance.

The signatories were drawn from all four corners of the country and across professions. Alongside well-known individuals who have stood steadfast for democratic reforms (Aruna Roy, Anjali Bhardwaj) and human rights (Kavita Srivastava, Teesta Setalvad, Harsh Mander), scholars and practitioners of the law and lawyers  (Vrinda Grover, Kalpana Kannabiran, Jhuma Sen, Aparna Chandra, Pratiksha Baxi) eminent academics and scientists (Zoya Hasan, Niraja Gopal Jayal, Utsa Patnaik, Jayati Ghosh, Rosemary Dzivuchu, Romila Thapar, Sukanta Chaudhuri, Ram Ramaswamy), acclaimed writers (Arundhati Roy, V. Geetha, Githa Hariharan, Amit Chaudhuri), musicians and artists (TM Krishna), architects and artists (Pushpamala N., Prem Chandavarkar, Vivian Sundaram), persons in political life (Kavita Krishnan, Manoj Jha, MP), journalists (Anuradha Bhasin, Patricia Mukhim, John Dayal), the list includes hundreds of students and research scholars, researchers and academics, retired government officials, retired members of the armed forces, private entrepreneurs, RTI, human and women's rights activists, health professionals and members of social organisations.

They said they reposed their trust in the Supreme Court as the CJI had assured all citizens that it was aware that citizens know that "when things go wrong, the judiciary will stand by them". This letter is therefore both an assessment that things have gone very wrong indeed as well as an appeal to the judiciary for meaningful reassurances from the Supreme Court that the promises to citizens of the rule of law, justice, equal rights, and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution still guides Indian democracy, a press release issued by them said.

Here is the text of the letter along with the names of the signatories:

To 

The Hon'ble Chief Justice of India, 

Supreme Court of India 

Respected Hon'ble Chief Justice of India,

The Pegasus spyware investigation has unveiled how its military grade malware installed on the phones of those targeted converts the device for use by a consumer to an object that spies on the individual, steals data and transmits data to unknown persons/databases. This has been defined as cyber warfare by experts in the field and it is nothing less than an act of state sponsored cyber terrorism against individuals. In this context, the Pegasus project and information in public domain raises concerns for the integrity of constitutional authorities including the independence of the Supreme Court. The investigation starkly discloses that the rights and freedoms of peoples, of which the Supreme Court is the guardian, are under grave risk.

We are deeply disturbed by reports that journalists, lawyers, clients, activists, academics, students, and even complainants of sexual harassment, witnesses and their support persons were made persons of interest and targets of the Pegasus malware. Human rights activists have repeatedly asserted that such hacking as well as other kinds of abuse of office has resulted in malicious prosecution, wrongful imprisonment, custodial torture, and custodial death of political prisoners. 

For women, the Pegasus scandal is deeply concerning, for speaking out against the state and men in positions of state power has meant that their lives are wrecked by such surveillance permanently. Human rights defenders have been imprisoned, and victims of sexual harassment have also not been spared such shocking forms of state sponsored cyber-crimes, which are analogous to digital forms of state terror. We are extremely disturbed by indications that targets for such hacking included the Supreme Court woman staffer who in April 2019 raised a complaint of sexual harassment and victimisation against former CJI Ranjan Gogoi, as well as 10 mobile numbers linked to her family members. The woman complainant and her family members were added to the list of targets days after she placed an affidavit detailing her complaint of sexual harassment and victimisation, before the then sitting Judges of the Supreme Court. 

It is common knowledge that Pegasus software is sold by the Israeli firm NSO only to governments, ostensibly for "national security" and "counter-terrorism" purposes. It is used to hack into smartphones remotely, and then gain control over those smartphones, without the knowledge of the target. The Indian list of targets indicates that the software was used, not to counter terrorism, but to gather information on, and perhaps thereby seek to control, Opposition politicians, the judiciary, the Press, as well as activists and others in civil society. 

Women all over the country demand to know: was a sexual harassment complainant, along with members of her family, subjected to such invasive hacking—and if so, to what purpose and by whom? How can any woman in India ever be expected to pursue a complaint against a hierarchical superior in the face of the chilling possibility that this may expose her and her loved ones to such a sinister criminal invasion of privacy? The Supreme Court's response to the woman's complaint in 2019 had been to set up an In-House Committee of three sitting Judges of the Supreme Court. The complainant withdrew from the said In-House Committee proceedings, stating that the Committee refused to inform her about the procedure being followed; she was not allowed to have her lawyer present; the proceedings were not recorded; and copy of her testimony was not simultaneously given to her. She also stated that she and her family members were being intimidated and followed. The In-House Committee ex-parte concluded by awarding CJI Ranjan Gogoi, a clean chit. After retiring as Chief Justice of India, Mr. Gogoi is now a Rajya Sabha M.P. from the ruling party. 

The recent revelations in the Pegasus project now suggest that far from being a perpetrator of such a plot, the complainant along with her family members was the victim of an elaborate program of illegal hacking and spying. If the complainant was under such criminal duress at the time, can the proceedings of the In-House Committee really have been free and fair? The silence of the Supreme Court as an institution on these revelations is deeply troubling for women in India. There are many questions that the Government of India, the Home Ministry, Mr. Ranjan Gogoi, and the NSO must answer, but as citizens we do not have the power to command such answers from these powerful entities. The Supreme Court has the power and duty to ask these questions, and it must speak for us— just as you recently assured us while speaking at an event in mid-July, "People are confident that they will get relief and justice from the judiciary. They know that when things go wrong, the judiciary will stand by them. The Indian Supreme Court is the guardian of the largest democracy." 

We hope that your office will lose no time in taking notice of this matter, and seeking time-bound answers to protect our rights and freedoms, its own credibility as an institution and in defence of our Constitution. The Indian public, and the women of India in particular, troubled by the questions as to whether any Indian entity purchased Pegasus, who that entity was, how it was paid for (given that the costs are reportedly estimated to amount Rs 1.5 crore per phone)? If it was indeed purchased, how were the targets for hacking chosen and what use was made of the information so gained? What were the admissible justifications for such targeting, and before which Constitutional authority were they presented? Which Constitutional authority oversaw or reviewed the criminal violation of privacy of so many individuals, including journalists, politicians, lawyers, human rights activists, and academics (and the SC staffer and her family members) so that they came to be on the list of Pegasus targets? We believe that the Supreme Court can only instil confidence in people's, and particularly women's minds by transparently demanding and making public all answers relating to the use of Pegasus in India. Above all, we look to the Supreme Court to declare a moratorium on the export, sale, transfer and use of Pegasus in India.

We seek your assurance that the institution of the Supreme Court of India is committed to upholding conditions free of intimidation as a prerequisite for fair inquiry in all matters, including inquiry into complaints of sexual harassment in the workplace (for which, regrettably, the Supreme Court of India has yet to institute an inquiry and redressal mechanism that judiciously combines the principles underlying its Vishaka judgment and the concerns of independence of the judiciary). The Supreme Court must fulfill its institutional obligations to provide women a safe workplace, and to that end, ensure full protection to complainants, their families and lawyers from cyber warfare. 

We raise the concerns we do in this letter in order to safeguard the independence of the judiciary, and its commitment to gender equality and freedoms.

Sincerely yours,

  1. A. Mangai, Marappachi Theatre Group, Chennai
  2. A.R. Rauf, student, Kishanganj
  3. Aaditya Arya, student (school), Kamhera, Distt. Saharanpur
  4. Aakriti, Delhi/NCR
  5. Aakshat Sinha, Delhi/NCR
  6. Aarthi Sridhar, Bengaluru
  7. Aastha Deshpande, academic, Mumbai
  8. Abdul Kalam Azad, human rights researcher, Assam
  9. Abdul Nazar, Malappuram
  10. Abhijit Gupta, academic, Jadavpur University, Kolkata
  11. Abhisht Hela, lawyer, Delhi High Court, Allahabad
  12. Abou Mere, President, NNagaDAO, Kohima
  13. Achin Vanaik, academic (retired), University of Delhi, Delhi/NCR
  14. Achin Vinayak, academic, New Delhi
  15. Aditi Das Gupta, Kolkata
  16. Aditi Gupta, Ahmedabad
  17. Aditi Mehta, Indore
  18. Aishwarya Visweswaran, Hyderabad
  19. Akhileshwari Ramagoud, journalist (independent) and academic, Secunderabad
  20. Akshay, student, IIT Bombay, Mumbai
  21. Albeena Shakil, academic, Kolkata
  22. Albin David Rebello, business executive, Delhi/NCR
  23. Ali Zaidi, lawyer, Supreme Court of India, Delhi/NCR
  24. Alok Rai, Allahabad
  25. Amba Sanyal, Delhi/NCR
  26. Ambika The, social activist, Hyderabad
  27. Ameet Parameswaran, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCR
  28. Amit Chaudhuri, writer, Kolkata
  29. Amit Jangid, student, Delhi/NCR
  30. Amita, lawyer, Delhi/NCR
  31. Amitabh Srivastava, theatre artiste, Delhi/NCR
  32. Amlan Dasgupta, Kolkata
  33. Ammu Joseph, writer, Bangalore
  34. Amrit Wilson, South Asia Solidarity Group, London
  35. Amrita Johri, SNS, Delhi/NCR
  36. Anil, student, Delhi/NCR
  37. Anindita Bose, Delhi/NCR
  38. Anisha A, entrepreneur, Mumbai
  39. Anjali Bhardwaj, SNS, Delhi/NCR
  40. Anjali Monteiro, filmmaker and academic, Bardez, Goa
  41. Anjali Ojha, Delhi/NCR
  42. Anjana Mangalagiri, Delhi/NCR
  43. Anjani Kumar Sharma, Ara
  44. Ankur Agraj, lawyer, Patna
  45. Ansar Indori, lawyer, National Confederation of Human Rights Organisations, Delhi/NCR
  46. Anupama Potluri, Hyderabad
  47. Anuradha Bhasin, journalist, Jammu
  48. Anuradha Boonlia, Indore
  49. Anuradha Chenoy, academic (retired), Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCR
  50. Anuradha Kapoor, Kolkata
  51. Anuradha Talwar, State Committee member, Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samity, PO Badu
  52. Anusha Khan, researcher, Mumbai
  53. Aparna Chandra, academic, National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, Bengaluru
  54. Apeksha Priyadarshini, research scholar, Bhagat Singh Ambedkar Students Organization, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCR
  55. Apeksha Vora, Mumbai
  56. Apoorva G., Delhi/NCR
  57. Apurba Roy, Kolkata
  58. Archana Chhetri, psychologist, Gangtok
  59. Archana Prasad, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCR
  60. Areet Kaur, doctor, Mohali
  61. Arokiaraj Edward, teacher, Dehradun
  62. Arpita Das, publisher, Yoda Press, Delhi/NCR
  63. Arun Pratap Shah, lawyer, Dehradun
  64. Aruna Roy, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, Village Devdungri, Distt. Rajsamand
  65. Arundhati Roy, writer, New Delhi
  66. Asha Dey, Bengaluru
  67. Ashalatha S, Makaam, Hyderabad
  68. Ashok Nehru, Delhi/NCR
  69. Asrarul Haque, academic, Hyderabad
  70. Atul Gurtu, academic (retired), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai
  71. Atul Sood, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCR
  72. Austin Thomas, Bangalore
  73. Avani Chokshi, lawyer, AILAJ, Bangalore
  74. Avik, student, Delhi/NCR
  75. Avinash Kumar, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCR
  76. Ayesha Kidwai, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCR
  77. Azim Khan, General Secretary, NCHRO, Delhi/NCR
  78. B.K. Choudhary, Delhi/NCR
  79. Banojyotsna Lahiri, senior researcher, Centre for Equity Studies, Delhi/NCR
  80. Beena Xavier, Ghaziabad
  81. Ben Imsong, social activist, Kohima
  82. Bharat, Jaipur
  83. Bharati Jagannathan, academic, Faridabad
  84. Bharti Ali, child rights activist, Delhi/NCR
  85. Bharti, Trustee, Santokba trust, Mumbai
  86. Bhashyam Srinivasan, Bengaluru
  87. Bhupender Yadav, academic (retired), Bareilly Cantt.
  88. Bishnupriya Dutt, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCR
  89. Biswapriya Kanungo, lawyer, Bhubaneswar
  90. Bittu KR, academic, Women Against Sexual Violence and State Repression, Sonipat
  91. Bobbeeta Sharma, General Secretary/Chairperson Media, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee, Guwahati
  92. Brinelle, academic and activist, Mumbai
  93. Cedric Prakash, human rights and peace activist, Ahmedabad
  94. Chayanika Shah, academic (retired), Forum Against Oppression of Women, Mumbai
  95. Cheryl Kharwansan, Mumbai
  96. Chingkhei Saikhom, student activist, Delhi/NCR
  97. Chirashree Das Gupta, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCR
  98. Clifton D' Rozario, lawyer, All India Lawyers Association for Justice, Bangalore
  99. David D'Costa, business manager, Pure Water House, Bangalore
  100. Debaditya Bhattacharya, academic, Kazi Nazrul University, Asansol
  101. Debashis Ghoshal, Delhi/NCR
  102. Debi Prasad Ghosh, govt official (retired), Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata
  103. Debjanee Ganguly, Howrah
  104. Deepa Bhargava, Delhi/NCR
  105. Deepa Vasudevan, Thrissur
  106. Deepika Sondhi, freelance communicator, Delhi/NCR
  107. Deepti Bharti, General Secretary, National Federation of Indian Women, Delhi/NCR
  108. Deepti Pradhan, Branford
  109. Dennis S, researcher, Chennai
  110. Denzil Fernandes, Delhi/NCR
  111. Deshdeep Dhankhar, University of Hyderabad, Delhi/Hyderabad
  112. Dev Desai, human rights activist, ANHAD, Ahmedabad
  113. Devakumar R.T., lawyer, Thiruvananthapuram
  114. Devyani Bhardwaj, education, Delhi/NCR
  115. Devyani Gupta, lawyer, Delhi/NCR
  116. Dhruv Raina, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCR
  117. Dhruva Narayan, Founder Trustee, JANAM Foundation, Patna
  118. Dianitius George, engineer, Kochi
  119. Dilip D'Souza, writer, Mumbai
  120. Dilip Simeon, academic and writer, Delhi/NCR
  121. Dolly Thakore, media consultant, Mumbai
  122. Dr. Bhat, academic, Delhi/NCR
  123. Elias M, retired teacher, Tirunelveli Distt.
  124. Enakshi Nandi, Delhi/NCR
  125. Faizan Sarwar, research scholar, Hyderabad
  126. G Arunima, Thiruvananthapuram
  127. G. Vijay, academic, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad
  128. Garima, student, Delhi/NCR
  129. Gaurav, Vadodara
  130. Gautam Dasgupta, teacher, Kolkata
  131. Gautam Menon, academic, Sonepat
  132. Gautam Mody, New Trade Union Initiative, Delhi/NCR
  133. Geeta Seshu, journalist, Free Speech Collective, Mumbai
  134. Geetha Venkataraman, academic, Ambedkar University Delhi, Delhi/NCR
  135. George Monippally, Latehar, Jharkhand
  136. George, Thrissur
  137. Girish Kaushik, retired captain (Sr. Commander), Mumbai
  138. Githa Hariharan, writer, Delhi/NCR
  139. Govind Kelkar, academic, Delhi/NCR
  140. Gyanendra Pandey, academic, Atlanta
  141. Haridas, private sector employee, Thrissur
  142. Harsh Mander, Delhi/NCR
  143. Harsh Parashar, lawyer, Delhi/NCR
  144. Hasina Khan,
  145. Hima Sasidharan, researcher, Gangtok
  146. Huma Khan, Lucknow
  147. Indira Banerjee, research scholar, Kolkata
  148. Indira Bharadwaj, mental health professional, Pune
  149. Indu Kumari, research scholar, Delhi/NCR
  150. International Solidarity for Academic Freedom in India (InSAF India), Europe and North America (organisation)
  151. Ira Raja, Delhi/NCR
  152. Jacobshally, teacher, Goa
  153. Jagdeep Chhokar, academic (retired), Delhi/NCR
  154. James Valanarasan, Godda
  155. Janaki Abraham, Delhi/NCR
  156. Janaki Nair, academic (retired), Jawaharlal Nehru University, Bengaluru
  157. Janani, Chennai
  158. Janet Chawla, Delhi/NCR
  159. Jarjum Ete, Advisor, APWWS (CEC), Itanagar
  160. Jaya Menon, academic, Shiv Nadar University, Delhi/NCR
  161. Jayati Ghosh, academic, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, USA, Northampton
  162. Jaykishan Godsora, Bokaro
  163. Jenny Rowena P, academic, Miranda House, University of Delhi, Delhi/NCR
  164. Jessica Gupta, Delhi/NCR
  165. Jhuma Sen, lawyer, Kolkata
  166. Joe, Hosur
  167. John Dayal, writer and activist, Delhi/NCR
  168. John Paul, social activist, Ahal, Thiruvannamalai
  169. Joy, Thiruvananthapuram
  170. Joya Uraizee, USA
  171. Juhi Bansal, lawyer, Delhi/NCR
  172. K. Lenin Devasahaya Vinober, lawyer, Students for Social Justice, Delhi/NCR
  173. K. Menon, academic, Ambedkar University Delhi, Delhi/NCR
  174. K. Neelu, researcher, Delhi/NCR
  175. K. Padma, lawyer, Committee for Release of Political Prisoners, Visakhapatnam
  176. K. Satyanarayana, academic, Hyderabad
  177. K.G. Prakash, Thiruvananthapuram
  178. K.K. Muhamed, artist, Kozhikode
  179. Kalpana Kannabiran, Hyderabad
  180. Kalpana Sharma, journalist (independent), Mumbai
  181. Kalpana Wilson, London
  182. Kalyani Menon Sen, researcher (independent), Delhi/NCR
  183. Kamalika Mukherjee, archivist, Kolkata
  184. Kamayani Bali Mahabal, Mumbai
  185. Kamini Tankha, Delhi/NCR
  186. Karan Bali, filmmaker, Mumbai
  187. Karthik R, Bangalore
  188. Kaushal Kumar, academic, Delhi/NCR
  189. Kavita Gaur, academic, Delhi/NCR
  190. Kavita Krishnan, Secretary, All India Progressive Women's Association, Delhi/NCR
  191. Kavita Panjabi, academic, Jadavpur University, Kolkata
  192. Kavita Srivastava, National Secretary, People's Union for Civil Liberties, Jaipur
  193. Kawalpreet Kaur, lawyer, All India Students' Association, Delhi/NCR
  194. Ketholelie Angami, Kohima
  195. Kezia Shah, student, Delhi/NCR
  196. Kh. Pou, Delhi/NCR
  197. Kirti Singh, Delhi/NCR
  198. Kochurani Abraham, Thrippunithura
  199. Krishnakumar B, bank employee, Alappuzha
  200. Krithika Radhakrishnan, Bangalore
  201. Kumkum Roy, Delhi/NCR
  202. Kumudini, columnist, All India Progressive Women's Association, Allahabad
  203. Laavanya, Ranchi
  204. Lalita Ramdas, educator and activist, Bhaimala Village, Alibag, Raigad Distt.
  205. Lara Jesani, lawyer, Mumbai
  206. Lata Bhise Sonawane, State secretary, Maharashtra National Federation of Indian Women, Pimpri Chinchwad, Distt. Pune
  207. Lata Singh, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCR
  208. Laxmi Murthy, journalist, Bengaluru
  209. Laxminarayan Ramdas, Admiral, former Chief of the Naval Staff, Bhaimala Village, Alibag, Raigad Distt.
  210. Leena Abraham, Mumbai
  211. Leena Dabiru, social activist, Delhi/NCR
  212. Leena Wadia, researcher, Bengaluru
  213. Leila Kabir, Bengaluru
  214. Leo Anthony Singh, National Alliance of People's Movements, Jharkhand, Ranchi
  215. Liji J., Thiruvananthapuram
  216. Lillette Dubey, actor/ director, Mumbai
  217. Lochumbeni, Dimapur
  218. Lotika Singha, Stoke on Trent UK
  219. Machangbibou Chawang, Dimapur
  220. Madhava Prasad, Hyderabad
  221. Madhu Bhushan, Bangalore
  222. Madhu Sahni, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCR
  223. Madhurima Kundu, All India Students' Association, Delhi/NCR
  224. Mahabir Singh Khatri, teacher, Delhi/NCR
  225. Maimoona Mollah, President, AIDWA Delhi, Delhi/NCR
  226. Maitrayee Chaudhuri, academic, Delhi/NCR
  227. Maitreyi, Bangalore
  228. Malem Ningthouja, researcher, Imphal
  229. Malika Virdi, Uttarakhand Mahila Manch, Pithoragarh
  230. Malini Subramaniam, Bastar
  231. Mamata Dash, Delhi/NCR
  232. Mamta Jaitly, women's rights activist, Jaipur, Rajasthan
  233. Manju Sharma, Jaipur
  234. Manjula Pradeep, Ahmedabad
  235. Manoj Kumar Jha, Member of Parliament, Delhi/NCR
  236. Manoj, lawyer, Delhi/NCR
  237. Mansur Ahmed, Progressive Society, Tezpur
  238. Maria Michael R, Hisar
  239. Mary Mitzy, lawyer, SCBA, Delhi/NCR
  240. Mashruf Kamaal Adv, Bijnor
  241. Maya Krishna Rao, theatre artist, Vismayah, Delhi/NCR
  242. Meena Gopal, Mumbai
  243. Meena Kandasamy, writer, UK
  244. Meera Sanghamitra, activist, National Alliance of People's Movements, Hyderabad
  245. Meeta, self-employed, Jaipur.
  246. Mihika Noronha, doctor, Pune
  247. Mini Mathew, lawyer, Mumbai
  248. Mohammed Mustafa Ali, Hyderabad
  249. Mohan Rao, public health researcher, Bangalore
  250. Moushumi Basu, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCR
  251. Mridul, technology professional, Mumbai
  252. Muizz Drabu, lawyer, Delhi/NCR
  253. Muneer M., academic, Collegiate Education Department, Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram
  254. N. Jayaram, journalist, Bangalore
  255. N. Sai Balaji, National President, All India Students' Association, Delhi/NCR
  256. N. Venugopal, journalist, Editor, Veekshanam, Hyderabad
  257. N.D. Jayaprakash, social activist, Delhi/NCR
  258. Nadathur Krishnan, Panvel/Raigad
  259. Nadeem Khan, United Against Hate, Delhi/NCR
  260. Nandini Rao, Delhi/NCR
  261. Nandita Narain, academic, Democratic Teachers' Front, University of Delhi, Delhi/NCR
  262. Nandita Shah, Mumbai
  263. Narayan Bharadwaj, retired sailor, Pune
  264. Narendra Dengle, Pune
  265. Natasha Badhwar, filmmaker and author, Delhi/NCR
  266. Navdeep Mathur, Ahmedabad
  267. Navsharan Singh, researcher and feminist activist, Delhi/NCR
  268. Neelakshi Suryanarayan, teacher, Delhi/NCR
  269. Neelanjana Mukhia, Delhi/NCR
  270. Neema Chaurasiya, research scholar, University of Delhi, Delhi/NCR
  271. Neeraj Malik, Delhi/NCR
  272. Neeraj, Delhi/NCR
  273. Nidhi, Delhi/NCR
  274. Nikhat Fatima, Hyderabad
  275. Nikhil Jois K. S., student, Bengaluru
  276. Niloufer Bhagwat, lawyer, Mumbai
  277. Nina Chandavarkar, Bangalore
  278. Ningthoukhongjam Rajesh, journalist, Citizen Radio, Imphal
  279. Niraja Jayal, Delhi/NCR
  280. Nirjhari Sinha, Chairperson, Jan Sangharsh Manch, Ahmedabad
  281. Nirmala Sharma, administrative service (retired), Justice Seekers, Bengaluru
  282. Nisha Biswas, Kolkata
  283. Nishu Kumar, academic, East Garo Hills
  284. Niti Saxena, Lucknow
  285. Nitin Sehgal, Delhi/NCR
  286. Nivedita Menon, Delhi/NCR
  287. Nupur Chowdhury, Delhi/NCR
  288. Nupur Dasgupta, academic, Jadavpur University, Kolkata
  289. Nupur, research scholar, Jaipur
  290. Oishik Sircar, Kolkata
  291. Oishika Neogi, human rights researcher, Delhi/NCR
  292. Okram Nutankumar Singh, lawyer and human rights defender, Imphal
  293. P Sundar Raj, Ariyalur Distt.
  294. Padam Kumar, lawyer, Bengaluru
  295. Padma Singh, teacher, Allahabad
  296. Padmaja Shaw, Hyderabad
  297. Pamela Philipose, journalist, Delhi/NCR
  298. Papia Sengupta, Delhi/NCR
  299. Papori Bora, Delhi/NCR
  300. Paramartha Dutta, Calcutta
  301. Parnal Chirmuley, Delhi/NCR
  302. Parongama Sen, Kolkata
  303. Patricia Mukhim, journalist, The Shillong Times, Shillong
  304. Paul C Jesuraja, academic (retired), Palayamkottai, Tirunelveli
  305. Pavan Kumar Nair, veteran, Pune
  306. Philo Thomas, Director, Women's Welfare Center, Pune
  307. Poulami Ray, Kalyani
  308. Prabhat Patnaik, Professor Emeritus, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCR
  309. Prabir Bose, Goa
  310. Prabir Purkayastha, science activist, Editor, Newsclick.in, Delhi/NCR
  311. Pradipta Bandyopadhyay, Delhi/NCR
  312. Pramod Balakrishnan, architect, Chennai
  313. Prasenjit Bose, Kolkata
  314. Pratiksha Baxi, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCR
  315. Prem Chandavarkar, architect, Bengaluru
  316. Priyaleen Singh, Delhi/NCR
  317. Priyam, Dehradun
  318. Purnima, Delhi/NCR
  319. Pushpamala N., artist, Bengaluru
  320. Qaiser Asad, lawyer, Delhi/NCR
  321. R. Chaudhuri, Kolkata
  322. R. Karthick Narayanan, Madurai
  323. R. Ramachandran, Santiniketan
  324. Radha Sen, Kolkata
  325. Radhika Chakraborty, Delhi/NCR
  326. Rafiq Kidwai, architect, Delhi/NCR
  327. Rahul Jacob, journalist, Bengaluru
  328. Rahul Nigam, academic, BITS, Hyderabad
  329. Rahul Roy, academic, Indian Statistical Institute, Delhi/NCR
  330. Raina Ghosh, research scholar, Delhi/NCR
  331. Rajashri Dasgupta, journalist, Kolkata
  332. Rajeev Bhargava, Delhi/NCR
  333. Rajeev R. Singh, Delhi/NCR
  334. Rajeev Singha, Stoke on Trent UK
  335. Rajeev Yadav, General Secretary, Rihai Manch, Lucknow
  336. Rajoo Barot, artist, Ahmedabad
  337. Rajshree Chandra, University of Delhi, Delhi/NCR
  338. Rakhi Sehgal, Delhi/NCR
  339. Ram Ramaswamy, Delhi/NCR
  340. Rama Baru, Delhi/NCR
  341. Ramani Natarajan, lawyer, Chennai
  342. Rani Day, Filmmaker, Bengaluru
  343. Ranjana Padhi, Women Against Sexual Violence and State Repression, Bhubaneswar
  344. Ranjit Sabikhi, Architect, Delhi/NCR
  345. Ranvijay, National Vice-President, All India Students' Association, Delhi/NCR
  346. Rashmi Singh, Delhi/NCR
  347. Ravi Srivastava, academic (retired), Delhi/NCR
  348. Ravi Narla, self-employed, Hyderabad.
  349. Reena Ramteke, community correspondent, Gariyaband
  350. Rema Kandaramath, retired IT professional, Ottapalam, Palakkad
  351. Renu Kumari, student, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCR
  352. Renuka Mishra, Delhi/NCR
  353. Riddhi Shah, Delhi/NCR
  354. Rita Manchanda, human rights and peace activist, Delhi/NCR
  355. Ritesh Kumar, Agra
  356. Ritu Varuni, architect, Raigarh
  357. Rituraj Pegu, research scholar, Delhi/NCR
  358. Ritwik Bagchi, research scholar, Kolkata
  359. Riyaz Tayyibji, Ahmedabad
  360. Rohini Hensman, writer and independent scholar, Mumbai
  361. Rohini Mohan, Bengaluru
  362. Rohini Sen, Kolkata
  363. Romila Thapar, Professor Emerita, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCR
  364. Rosemary Dzuvichu, academic, Nagaland University, Kohima
  365. Roshmi, Shillong
  366. Rudi Warjri, retired Ambassador, Shillong
  367. Rukmini Rao, feminist activist, Hyderabad
  368. Rukmini Sen, Kolkata
  369. Runu Chakraborty, Ghaziabad
  370. S. Sreedevi, AIIPA, Ernakulam
  371. Sachidanand Sinha, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCR
  372. Sachin N, Common Teachers' Forum, DU, Delhi/NCR
  373. Sadaf Jafar, social activist, Kalrav, Lucknow
  374. Sadhna, Delhi/NCR
  375. Sagari R Ramdas, veterinary scientist, Food Sovereignty Alliance, India, Hyderabad
  376. Saheli Women's Resource Centre, Delhi/NCR (organisation)
  377. Saibal Roy, Shikasa Bandhu, S.S.M., Mallarpur, Birbhum
  378. Sajni Mukherji, academic (retired), Jadavpur University, Kolkata
  379. Saket Moon, Vice-President Jawaharlal Nehru University Students, Delhi/NCR
  380. Samantak Das, academic, Jadavpur University, Kolkata
  381. Sameera Khan, Mumbai
  382. Samik Bandyopadhyay, publisher-editor, Kolkata
  383. Samiksha Godiyal, lawyer, Delhi/NCR
  384. Samir Kumar Sahoo, Bengaluru
  385. Sandhya Gokhale, Forum Against Oppression of Women, Mumbai
  386. Sandhya Kumari, academic, Delhi/NCR
  387. Sangharsh Apte, researcher, DHRDNet, Thakurli, Thane
  388. Sanghmitra Acharya, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCR
  389. Sanjay Kak, filmmaker, Delhi/NCR
  390. Sanjay Kanvinde, architect, Delhi/NCR
  391. Sanjay Srivastava, Delhi/NCR
  392. Sanjay Wategaonkar, Mumbai
  393. Sapna Gupta, academic, Lords Institute of Engineering and Technology, Hyderabad
  394. Sarika Chaudhary, Secretary Democratic Students' Federation, Delhi/NCR
  395. Sarla Kumari, social activist, PUCL Jaipur, Jaipur
  396. Sarmad Aziz, researcher, Delhi/NCR
  397. Sarojini N., Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, Delhi/NCR
  398. Satish Varma, Ernakulam
  399. Saugata Bhaduri, Delhi/NCR
  400. Saumya Uma, Sonipat
  401. Saurabh, student, Chandauli
  402. Sawmi Leyri, social activist, Kohima
  403. Sebastian Packiam, Ramanathapuram
  404. Sehba Farooqui, political activist, Delhi/NCR
  405. Shabnam Hashmi, Founder, Anhad, Delhi/NCR
  406. Shafaq Khab, Bhabua Kaimur
  407. Shahana Bhattacharya, Delhi/NCR
  408. Shailesh Kumar, research scholar, University of Delhi, Delhi/NCR
  409. Shambhavi Prakash, Delhi/NCR
  410. Shanta Laishram, academic, Delhi/NCR
  411. Sharmila Kher, Director, Foundation for child protection, Muskaan, Mumbai
  412. Shatarupa Bhattacharya, academic, Faridabad
  413. Sheena Choudhary, Delhi/NCR
  414. Shernaz Italia, Delhi/NCR
  415. Shewli Kumar, Mumbai
  416. Shimreichon Luithui, Ukhrul
  417. Shirshava Indu, student, Kolkata
  418. Shivam Sharma, Delhi/NCR
  419. Shivani Nag, academic, Delhi/NCR
  420. Shivani, interior designer, Shivani Dogra Interiors, Delhi/NCR
  421. Shubha, Pondicherry
  422. Shubhanshu Singh, research scholar and political activist, Delhi/NCR
  423. Shuddhabrata Sengupta, artist and writer, Delhi/NCR
  424. Shukla Sawant, academic and artist, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCR
  425. Shweta Vachani, web designer, Delhi/NCR
  426. Siddhartha Chaudhuri, Senior Research Scientist, Bengaluru
  427. Sima Raza, actor, Mumbai
  428. Sindhuja Sankaran, academic, Chennai
  429. Sitwat Nabi, lawyer, Supreme Court of India, Delhi/NCR
  430. Soma Das, Mathura
  431. Sonali Patnaik, Bhubaneswar
  432. Sonu Kumar, journalist, CEO, IYC News Network/Agency & Media Services, Patna
  433. Sonu Yadav, student, Allahabad
  434. Spandana B.V., student, Hyderabad
  435. Srabani, researcher, Delhi/NCR
  436. Sri Vamsi Mitta, theatre artist, Bangalore
  437. Srishti Mehta, student, Indore
  438. Sruti Bala, Amsterdam
  439. Subir Dey, Delhi/NCR
  440. Sucharita Sen, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCR
  441. Sucheta Mahajan, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCR
  442. Sudhanva Deshpande, publisher, author, actor, LeftWord Books, Delhi/NCR
  443. Sudhir Vombatkere, Mysuru
  444. Sudipta Bhattacharyya, academic, Visva-Bharati, Santiketan
  445. Sugata Hazra, academic, Jadavpur University, Kolkata
  446. Sujata Gothoskar, researcher and activist, Forum Against Oppression of Women, Mumbai
  447. Sujata Madhok, journalist (independent), Delhi/NCR
  448. Sujata Patel, academic, Pune
  449. Sujata Paul Maliah, Dehradun
  450. Sukanta Chaudhuri, Kolkata
  451. Sukanya Ghosh, artist, Delhi/Kolkata
  452. Sukumar Muralidharan, journalist, Delhi/NCR
  453. Suman, Bangalore
  454. Suman, Delhi/NCR
  455. Sumeet Krishna, Ghaziabad
  456. Sumit Baudh,Academic, Sonipat
  457. Suneeta Dhar, feminist activist, Delhi/NCR
  458. Sunil VM, retired govt. employee, Muvattupuzha
  459. Supriya Chaudhuri, Emeritus Professor of English, Jadavpur University, Kolkata
  460. Supriya Varma, Delhi/NCR
  461. Suresh Bhat Bakrabail, Mangaluru
  462. Suroor Mander, Delhi/NCR
  463. Susai Sebastian, social activist, Delhi/NCR
  464. Susan Abraham, Delhi
  465. Susan Abraham, lawyer, Mumbai
  466. Sushil Khanna, academic (retired), IIM Calcutta, Kolkata
  467. Sushma Varma, Bengaluru
  468. Suvir Kaul, Academic, Philadelphia
  469. Suvojit Bagchi, journalist, Kolkata
  470. Svati Joshi, Ahmedabad
  471. Swatija, Forum Against Oppression of Women, Thane
  472. T M Krishna, musician and author, Chennai
  473. T.C. Jayaprakash, Coorg Distt., Mysore
  474. Tara Murali, architect, Chennai
  475. Tarek Akhtar Ansari, Guwahati
  476. Tarun Bhartiya, RAIOT Webzine, Shillong
  477. Tarun Gogoi, research scholar, Delhi/NCR
  478. Tarun Kumar Yadav, social activist, Saharsa
  479. Teesta Setalvad, Citizens for Justice and Peace, Mumbai
  480. Thokchomcha Beejen, self-employed, Kakching
  481. Thomas Antony, Delhi/NCR
  482. Trina Mukhopadhyay, Kolkata
  483. Trishna S.M., lawyer, Delhi/NCR
  484. Uma Chakravarti, historian and filmmaker, Delhi/NCR
  485. Urmimala Sarkar, academic, Delhi/NCR
  486. Ursila Jung, Delhi/NCR
  487. Usman Jawed, Delhi/NCR
  488. Utsa Patnaik, Professor Emerita, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCR
  489. V. Geetha, writer, Chennai
  490. V. Sujatha, Delhi/NCR
  491. Vandana Mahajan, development practitioner, Delhi/NCR
  492. Vandana Nanal, Mumbai
  493. Vandana Prasad, public health professional, Delhi/NCR
  494. Vani Subramanian, filmmaker, Delhi/NCR
  495. Vanita N Mukherjee, Delhi/NCR
  496. Varghese Thomas, private sector employee, Delhi/NCR
  497. Varsha Bhargavi, Gender Sensitisation course director, Feminist Collective, Hyderabad
  498. Vasid Khan, State General Secretary, National Confederation of Human Rights Organizations Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal
  499. Vasuda Arora, mental health professional, Mumbai
  500. Vasudha Nagaraj, lawyer, Hyderabad
  501. Venkatesh Nayak, RTI activist, Bengaluru
  502. Vickram Crishna, Mumbai
  503. Vidyun Sabhaney, artist, Delhi/NCR
  504. Vijay Singh, Delhi/NCR
  505. Vijaylakshmi, social activist, People's Union for Civil Liberties, Jaipur.
  506. Vikas Bajpai, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCR
  507. Vimeno Angami, Vice President Naga Women Hoho Dimapur, Dimapur
  508. Vinay Bharadwaj, academic (retired), University of Delhi, Delhi/NCR
  509. Vincent, engineer, Irinjalakuda, Trichur
  510. Vineet Tiwari, National Secretary, All india Progressive Writers' Association, Indore
  511. Vineeta Bal, academic, Pune
  512. Vinod Gupta, Delhi/NCR
  513. Vivan Sundaram, artist, Delhi/NCR
  514. Vrinda Grover, lawyer, Delhi/NCR
  515. Vrinda Ravi Kumar, Bengaluru
  516. Wilson Gangmei, social activist, Imphal
  517. Xonzoi Barbora, Melbourne
  518. Yomah Konyak, Dimapur
  519. Zoya Hasan, Professor Emerita, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCR