Delhi University professor GN Saibaba addresses the media following a raid at his residence in January 2014. (File/Express Photo By Amit Mehra)The Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court on Friday acquitted former Delhi University professor G N Saibaba in alleged Maoist links case and allowed his appeal against conviction and life sentence, news agency PTI reported. The court also ordered his immediate release from jail.
A division bench of Justices Rohit Deo and Anil Pansare allowed the appeal filed by Saibaba challenging a 2017 order of the trial court convicting him and sentencing him to life imprisonment. Wheelchair-bound due to a physical disability, Saibaba is currently lodged at the Nagpur central prison.
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.”
The bench also allowed the appeal of five other convicts in the case and acquitted them. One of the five died pending hearing of the appeal. The bench directed that the convicts be released forthwith from jail unless they are accused in any other case.
In March 2017, a sessions court in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district had convicted Saibaba and others, including a journalist and a Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student for alleged Maoist links and for indulging in activities amounting to waging war against the country.
The court had held Saibaba and the others guilty under various provisions of the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
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.
(With inputs from PTI)