Reinstate GN Saibaba as professor at DU's RLA college; compensate for years of service lost: JNUTA

NEW DELHI : The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) has demanded reinstatement of professor GN Saibaba in his position at Delhi University’s Ram Lal Anand College and compensation for the years of service he lost. JNUTA welcomed the Bombay High Court’s decision to acquit the professor along with five others in a Maoist links case.

The Nagpur bench of the Bombay HC acquitted the former DU professor and set aside his life imprisonment. JNUTA informed that the Supreme Court has upheld the HC order saying that it was ‘well reasoned’ and dismissed the special leave petition filed by the Maharashtra government seeking a stay on it.

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The teachers’ body argued that the acquittal of GN Saibaba and others does not undo the fact that those who have been falsely accused have spent years in jail without committing any crime. Those responsible for the unfair treatment will be held accountable, it said.

“And as long as this reality does not change, the ability of the state to punish those whose views or opinions it does not like will remain immense. All it has to do is charge someone in order to mete out 'punishment', and this is only encouraging the political misuse of the law enforcement agencies even as real criminals and terrorists enjoy the 'reprieve' they get on account of this preoccupation of the agencies with quashing contrary opinions,” JNUTA iterated.

Modi government, UAPA

The teachers further said that the professor’s acquittal will work as a reminder to the state which, the association alleged, is imprisoning those defend human rights in false cases of terrorism. “The current order of acquittal of Prof G N Saibaba clearly exposes the height of paranoia of the current regime that has started treating reading and writing as synonymous with criminal activities,” it said.

JNUTA didn’t find the approach of the ruling government, to shut the dissenting voices, healthy for the country’s democracy, it said. Further keeping forth its demands, it said, “The JNUTA stands with all activists who have been falsely implicated in terror cases under UAPA and demands that the trial against them be completed in a time bound manner with fairness and following due procedure.”