In a significant development, Comrade Jagadish Yadav, one of the long-incarcerated TADA prisoners, was released from Gaya jail on October 1, 2024, following an order from the Patna High Court. Com. Jagadish, who had been incarcerated for over 22 years, was among 14 individuals sentenced to life imprisonment in 2003 in connection with a politically motivated false case filed during a protest in 1998. His release has brought relief to his family but renewed the demand for the freedom of the five remaining TADA prisoners still languishing in jail.
Comrade Dr. Jagadish Yadav, now 70, was accused under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA), a law that had been repealed by the time of their conviction. Despite this, Com. Jagadish and others were sentenced by the Jehanabad Sessions Court in 2003. His release comes after years of appeals and the persistent intervention of the CPIML and people’s movements.
However, the release of Com. Jagadish only underscores the plight of the five remaining TADA prisoners who continue to suffer in jail. Churaman Bhagat, Arvind Choudhary, Ajit Sau, Shyam Choudhary, and Laxman Sau have all been in prison for over two decades, despite having completed more than the required 14 years eligibility for release. Several of them are in poor health, battling old age, and enduring harsh jail conditions with inadequate medical care.
CPIML leaders and the families of TADA victims have denounced the prolonged injustice. In these years of incarceration, six of the 14 prisoners have already died in jail due to medical negligence. Tribhuvan Sharma, who was released earlier in 2020, was the first to leave jail after a similar intervention by the High Court. Despite these developments, five TADA victims still continue to languish in prison, with no clarity on when or if they will be freed.
CPIML, in a statement on October 1, 2024 welcoming the release of Com. Jagadish said that the struggle for the release of all TADA victims will continue.
