The Supreme Court stayed the Bombay High Court order acquitting Professor GN Saibaba and others. The Supreme Court observed that the action of the High Court was without going into the merits of the case. Saibaba and his gang in Nagpur Central Jail may be granted bail in Maoist case.
The Supreme Court heard the Maharashtra government’s petition in a special sitting on a holiday. After a two-hour argument, a bench comprising Justice M.R. Shah and Bela M. Trivedi stayed the judgment of the High Court. The Supreme Court pointed out that the charges leveled once morest Saibaba and his gang are serious and the High Court did not go into the merits of the case to acquit those found guilty by the trial court following considering the evidence. The court also did not allow Saibaba’s request that he should be placed under house arrest considering his health condition instead of being placed in jail. Saibaba was arrested in 2014.
In 2017, the Gadchiroli Sessions Court sentenced six people, including Saibaba, to life imprisonment under sections of the IPC and UAPA in the Maoist case. One person died while undergoing treatment in prison. Saibaba is 90 percent paralyzed due to polio and is confined to a wheelchair. Yesterday, the Bombay High Court said in its order that the trial court’s conviction was invalid as the UAPA was imposed without following due process.
Plea Against Professor Saibaba’s Acquittal: SC Special Hearing
