The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court on Friday acquitted former Delhi University professor G N Saibaba and five others, allowing their appeals and setting aside the life imprisonment sentence awarded to them in 2017 by a sessions court in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli, which had convicted them for alleged Maoist links.
A division bench of the Nagpur HC of Justices Rohit Deo and Anil Pansare observed that the proceedings before the sessions court are “null and void” in absence of a valid sanction under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
On March 7, 2017, along with Saibaba, Mahesh Tirki, Pandu Narote, Hem Mishra, Prashant Rahi and Vijay Tirki were convicted by a sessions court in Gadchiroli under relevant sections of the UAPA and charges of criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code. While Vijay was sentenced to 10 years in jail, the others were sentenced to life imprisonment. Vijay is out on bail and Narote, a 33-year-old imprisoned at Nagpur Central Jail, passed away in August in custody.
Following the verdict, Saibaba’s wife Vasanta Kumari told The Indian Express, “He is an intellectual and a teacher. He was framed in the case. His health has deteriorated and his limbs are not working properly because of spending seven years in jail. At present, my brother-in-law is in Nagpur to complete the formalities.”
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Earlier, Saibaba had threatened to go on an indefinite hunger strike inside his jail cell in protest against the installation of a CCTV camera which allegedly captures footage of the toilet and bathing area. His wife and brother wrote to the Maharashtra Home Minister on Saturday seeking the removal of the CCTV camera.
Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/bombay-hc-acquits-du-professor-gn-saibaba-maoist-links-case-8207891/
