Dr Binayak Sen granted bail by Supreme Court

Lily

B.R
Staff member
New Delhi: Social activist Dr Binayak Sen, serving life imprisonment in a Chhattisgarh prison on charges of sedition, was granted bail by the Supreme Court yesterday.

Sen, a 61-year-old medical professional, was prosecuted for working for banned Maoists and was sentenced to life by a Chhattisgarh court last December.

"We are a democratic country. If Gandhian literature is found on some one, it doesn't make him a Gandhian. He may be a Naxal sympathiser but that doesn't make him guilty of sedition," the Supreme Court bench comprising Justices H.S. Bedi and C.K. Prasad observed, adding that possession of Maoist literature cannot be seen as a proof of sedition.

"He is a sympathiser. Nothing beyond that," the bench further said.

Statements irrelevant

Sen had worked with Chhattisgarh tribals for almost 25 years and was even honoured by the state government for his contribution to health and human rights and was a member of the State Committee on Health Sector Reforms

His arrest and subsequent imprisonment shocked human rights activists all over the world. The Chhattisgarh High Court denied him bail, leading to Sen challenging it in the apex court in February.

The Supreme Court said that it was not giving any reason for granting Dr. Sen bail and made it clear that the bail would be subject to the satisfaction of the trial court which can consider imposing any condition for setting him free.

Former law minister Ram Jethmalani, appearing for Sen, submitted in his affidavit that the state has been unable to point out misconduct on his part. The bench agreed with him saying that all the statements made by the state and documents submitted have no relevance.

Dr Sen who is vice president of the People's Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL) was arrested from Bilaspur on May 14, 2007. He was accused by the state of colluding with Maoists to establish a network in urban areas to fight the state. He was charged with sedition and sentenced along with Maoist ideologue Narayan Sanyal and Kolkata-based businessman Piyush Guha.

Meanwhile, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh yesterday said that his government respects the Supreme Court's decision to grant bail to Dr. Sen. "We respect the decision given by Supreme Court," Singh said.

The Chhattisgarh High Court will continue to hear Sen's petition challenging the trial court judgement.

 
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