Defence committee for release of GN Saibaba welcomes Bombay high court’s acquittal decision

NEW DELHI: The defence committee for the release of GN Saibaba has welcomed the Bombay high court judgement acquitting GN Saibaba, Hem Mishra, Mahesh Tirki, Pandu Narote, Prashant Rahi and Vijay Tirki. GN Saibaba, a former professor of Delhi University, and others were booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for alleged links with Maoists.

“Despite the delay of a decade in the delivery of justice in these cases, the fact that the honourable High Court found them innocent of all charges, is of great legal and political significance. The carefully argued order demonstrates beyond any possible doubt that the charges against these ordinary citizens of India were baseless, trumped up and unquestionably false,” the defence committee chairman G Haragopal said.

The committee added the order sends a strong message of hope to other, similarly beleaguered victims of “state repression”.

The Nagpur bench of the Bombay high court noted that the prosecution failed to prove the case against Saibaba. Earlier, a sessions court in Gadchiroli district had convicted Saibaba and five others for alleged maoist links and for indulging in activities amounting to waging war against the country.

The defence committee also expressed sorrow on the death of Pandu Narote in prison. “Narote’s death, like the death of Father Stan Swamy earlier, and innumerable others like them, is a telling reminder that capital punishment can be systemically delivered, even when it is not judicially ordered. Dr. Saibaba’s health too, has deteriorated terribly in the course of his incarceration, due to the same deliberate medical neglect by the prison authorities,” the defence committee added.

Also read Maoist links case HC acquits former Delhi University professor G N Saibaba and 5 others

Demands raised by defence committee

The committee also raised demands, including release of people arrested in Bima-Koregaon case. The following demands were raised by the committee:

• All charges against intellectuals and activists who have been similarly falsely detained under the UAPA in particular, such as those charged in the Bhima-Koregaon case, or those arrested during the anti-CAA/NRC struggle, should be dropped and they should be immediately released.
• The committee appealed to the Supreme Court to refuse to admit the appeal being filed by the Maharashtra government, against the order of acquittal.
• GN Saibaba should be reinstated to his post in Delhi University with retrospective benefits and compensations
• Saibaba, Hem Mishra, Prashant Rahi, Mahesh Tirki, Vijay Tirki and family of Pandu Narote should be granted compensation for the years long wrongful incarceration and loss of life of Pandu Narote under detention.
• Draconian and repressive instruments of the state like the UAPA should be immediately repealed.