Wanted to set up ‘Janta Sarkar’: NIA opposes Hany Babu’s bail plea

A division bench of Justice N M Jamdar and Justice N R Borkar was hearing Babu’s appeal seeking bail filed after a special NIA court rejected his plea in February this year.

In its detailed order, the special court had said that there is prima facie evidence that Babu was ‘actively involved’ in activities of banned organisation CPI (Maoist). Babu was arrested by the NIA in 2020 and booked under charges including criminal conspiracy and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

In his appeal in the High Court filed through advocates Yug Mohit Chaudhry and Payoshi Roy, Babu has said that there was no evidence against him to suggest that he had intended to or supported activities causing disaffection against India and there was no material to charge him under the UAPA.

Responding to the plea, Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh for NIA submitted that Babu wanted to promote and expand Naxalism and he was a part of the conspiracy wherein the ultimate goal was to wage a war against India by overthrowing the elected government.

“The appellant along with others had an eventual objective to set up ‘Janata Sarkar’ i.e. people’s governments through armed struggle,” Singh argued. He referred to a list showing hierarchy of CPI (Maoist) leaders which included Babu and other accused persons.

The NIA added that the appellant was a close associate of co-accused Sudha Bharadwaj and was involved in mass mobilisation of people against the government and in building of banned CPI (Maoist) party . “A ‘revolution’ act was to be performed wherein words like ‘enemy’ were used for the State,” it said. The NIA will continue its arguments on Friday.