Supreme Court stays release of ex-DU professor GN Saibaba in UAPA case

Earlier, the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court had acquitted Saibaba and ordered his immediate release from jail.

Pic Credit: File Photo

New Delhi: The Supreme Court stayed the release of ex-DU professor GN Saibaba, and others from jail as reported by PTI. This order came after the Bombay High Court acquitted Saibaba in the Maoist-links case. The top court also rejected the ex-DU professor's plea to put him under house arrest due to his disability, and health conditions. The SC's order has Earlier on Friday, the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court acquitted Saibaba and ordered his immediate release from jail. A division bench of justices Rohit Deo and Anil Pansare also allowed an appeal filed by Saibaba challenging a 2017 trial court order convicting him and sentencing him to life imprisonment. Saibaba, who is wheelchair-bound, is currently lodged at the Nagpur central prison.

In a special hearing today, Supreme Court suspends the October 14 order of the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court which discharged former Delhi University professor GN Saibaba and others in an alleged Maoist links case. pic.twitter.com/qGUJExNPuv

— ANI (@ANI) October 15, 2022

"We had faith that he would be acquitted because he did not do anything wrong. There was no crime and no evidence. I am thankful to the judiciary and all those who supported us," Vasantha Kumari told PTI over the phone.

The couple's daughter is currently pursuing MPhil from Jamia Millia Islamia. Asked how they coped with his absence in the last eight years, Vasantha Kumari said, "Don't ask! There was a lot of struggle and patience involved in the last eight years. It was difficult for Sai also since his health deteriorated and he lost his job."

In March 2017, a sessions court in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district convicted Saibaba and other people, 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).

Saibaba, 52, who is wheelchair-bound due to a physical disability, is currently lodged in the Nagpur central prison. He was arrested in February 2014.

(With agency inputs)