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SC suspends Bombay HC decision acquitting Saibaba; ex-DU professor to remain in jail

The bench of Justices MR Shah and Bela M Trivedi denied GN Saibaba's request for house arrest due to his physical disability and health conditions. The Maharashtra government approached the Supreme Court after the Bombay High Court acquitted Saibaba and ordered his immediate release from prison.

SC suspends Bombay HC decision acquitting Saibaba; ex-DU professor to remain in jail - adt
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First Published Oct 15, 2022, 2:12 PM IST

The Supreme Court suspended the Bombay High Court's order acquitting former Delhi University (DU) professor G N Saibaba and others in a Maoist-related case on Saturday.

On Friday, the high court acquitted Saibaba and others in the case. An apex court bench of justices M R Shah and Bela M Trivedi, which heard the case on a non-working day, also denied Saibaba's request for house arrest due to his physical disability and health conditions.

It stayed the release from jail of all the accused in the case, including Saibaba, as ordered by the Bombay High Court's Nagpur bench.

It sought responses from Saibaba and the other accused in response to the Maharashtra government's petition challenging the high court order.

The Bombay High Court cleared Saibaba on Friday, more than eight years after his arrest, and ordered his release from custody, stating that the sanction order issued to prosecute the accused in the case under the strict provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) was "bad in law and invalid."

The high court's Nagpur bench granted Saibaba's appeal, which challenged a trial court order from 2017 that convicted him in the case and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

Apart from Saibaba, the court acquitted Mahesh Kariman Tirki, Pandu Pora Narote (both farmers), Hem Keshavdatta Mishra (student), and Prashant Sanglikar (journalist), who had been sentenced to life in prison, and Vijay Tirki (labourer), who had been sentenced to ten years. While the appeal was pending, Narote passed away.

Saibaba (52) is presently lodged in Nagpur Central Prison due to a physical disability. He was arrested in February of this year.

(With inputs from PTI)

Also Read: Maharashtra government moves Supreme Court against acquittal of Professor BN Saibaba

Also Read: Former DU professor Saibaba’s parole plea to attend mother's post-funeral rites rejected

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