Sudha Bhardwaj
Sudha Bhardwaj is a human rights lawyer practising in the capacity of Advocate at Chattisgarh High Court in Bilaspur, with a focus on protecting the rights of the indigenous Adivasi community in the state of Chattisgarh. She has worked on several cases regarding alleged ‘fake encounters’ of Adivasi people and has represented Adivasi people and activists at the National Human Rights Commission of India. She also serves as the National Secretary of People’s Union for Civil Liberties. Sudha has also been a trade unionist for more than 30 years. She has worked in the working class shanties of Dalli Rajhara and Bhilai with workers, and fought cases on behalf of workers, poor farmers and Adivasi people protecting their labour, land and environmental rights.
Human rights defenders in India face a diverse range of attacks and harassment from state and non-state actors alike, including killing, physical assault, arbitrary detention, threats and judicial harassment. Police officials are often the perpetrators of violence against HRDs, which is usually carried out with impunity. Armed groups and private companies also target HRDs for work related to economic development projects and their impact on the local communities or the environment. HRDs are increasingly the targets of online smear campaigns by radical nationalists.
