NAGPUR: The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court on Tuesday acquitted former Delhi University professor G N Saibaba and five other accused in an alleged Maoist links case. The court acquitted all accused including G N Saibaba, Hem Mishra, Mahesh Tirkey, Vijay Tirkey, Narayan Sanglikar, Prashant Rahi and Pandu Narote (deceased).
The judgment was delivered by a bench of Justices Vinay Joshi and Valmiki S A Menezes who reheard the appeal by Saibaba after the Supreme Court set aside an earlier acquittal order of the High Court.
They set aside the verdict of a sessions court that had convicted Saibaba and others in 2017. The High Court had allowed an appeal filed by Saibaba and five others challenging a 2017 decision of the trial court convicting and sentencing him to life imprisonment under the anti-terror law UAPA. They were arrested in 2014.
On April 19, 2023, the Supreme Court set aside the order of the Bombay High Court that discharged former Delhi University professor Saibaba and other accused in a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for alleged Maoist links. The Maharashtra government had approached the top court challenging the October 14, 2022 order of the Bombay High Court which discharged Saibaba and others in an alleged Maoist links case.
On October 15 that year, the top court, in a special hearing, suspended the October 14 order of the High Court which discharged Saibaba and others. It also stayed the release of Saibaba and others from jail. The top court had, however, said that the accused would be at liberty to move for bail. It was said that the accused were convicted by the trial court after a detailed appreciation of the evidence.
On October 14, 2022, the Bombay High Court acquitted Saibaba and others in the case, however, the Maharashtra government approached the Supreme Court challenging the decision.
Apart from Saibaba, the High Court acquitted Mahesh Kariman Tirki, Pandu Pora Narote, Hem Keshavdatta Mishra and Prashant Rahi, who were sentenced to life imprisonment, and Vijay Tirki who was awarded 10 years in jail. Narote died during the appeal process.
They were sentenced to life imprisonment by the Sessions Court at Gadchiroli, Maharashtra in March 2017 for offences under various sections of UAPA and 120 B of the Indian Penal Code for alleged association with the Revolutionary Democratic Front (RDF), which was alleged to be an affiliate of outlawed Maoist organisation. (ANI)