Prof. Saibaba of DU was released from Nagpur jail after his acquittal in the Maoist links case

On Thursday, G. N. Saibaba, a former professor at Delhi University, was freed from the Nagpur Central Jail, after his acquittal by the Bombay High Court in an alleged Maoist ties case two days earlier.

Since his conviction by a trial court in the Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra in 2017, Saibaba has been housed at this prison. Prior to that, he was imprisoned from 2014 to 2016 before being released on bail.

“I’m in terrible health. I’m unable to speak. When I get out of prison, I will have to get medical attention first, and only then will I be allowed to talk,” wheelchair-bound Saibaba told reporters.

Outside the prison, a family member was waiting for him.

In the suspected Maoist connections case, the Bombay High Court’s Nagpur bench on Tuesday overturned Saibaba’s life sentence, stating that the prosecution had not proven the accusations beyond a reasonable doubt.

The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) sanction for prosecution was declared “null and void” by the HC, which also reversed Saibaba’s sentence.

The independent authority’s report, which suggested using UAPA rules in this particular instance, was described by the court as “cryptic and a laconic half page communication,” and the state authority’s UAPA penalty was declared to be mindless.

The court also pointed out that the confiscation of certain accused individuals’ leaflets and computer material only served to highlight their support for Maoist ideology.

Saibaba and five other people, including a journalist and a student at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), were found guilty in March 2017 by a Sessions Court in Gadchiroli of having connections to the Maoist movement and engaging in actions that amounted to waging war against the nation.