Former Delhi University professor G N Saibaba was released from confinement at the Nagpur Central Jail on Thursday, marking his freedom two days after the Bombay High Court exonerated him in a contentious case concerning purported connections to Maoist activities.
Saibaba had been held in custody since 2017 following his conviction by a trial court situated in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district. Preceding this period of detention, he had undergone imprisonment from 2014 to 2016 before being granted temporary release on bail.
Speaking to reporters upon his release, Saibaba, who has been reliant on a wheelchair due to health complications, expressed the dire state of his well-being, articulating his need for immediate medical attention before engaging in conversation.
Awaiting him outside the confines of the correctional facility was a family member, signifying a moment of heartfelt reunion and support.
The verdict rendered by the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court on Tuesday effectively nullified Saibaba's life sentence, citing the prosecution's failure to substantiate the allegations against him beyond a reasonable doubt.
In its deliberation, the court invalidated the authorization for prosecution granted under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), contending that it lacked the requisite depth of scrutiny. Additionally, the court criticized the brevity and ambiguity of the report submitted by the independent authority, which recommended the invocation of UAPA provisions in the case.
Emphasizing its assessment of the evidence, the bench underscored that the seizure of pamphlets and electronic data from the accused merely indicated their ideological alignment with Maoist principles.
In a significant turn of events, the March 2017 conviction by a sessions court in Gadchiroli, which implicated Saibaba and five others, including a journalist and a Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student, in purported Maoist affiliations and activities amounting to sedition, was overturned by the Bombay High Court's recent ruling.
