New Delhi:
The Supreme Court is expected to give its decision today on the bail plea of civil rights activist Binayak Sen, who has been sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of sedition.
Sen, 61, has challenged the order of the Chhattisgarh High Court that had rejected his bail plea on February 10.
A professional doctor and a pass-out of Vellore's prestigious Christian Medical College (CMC), Sen has sought bail contending that the trial court has erred in convicting him when there was no substantial evidence against him.
A bench of justices HS Bedi and CK Prasad had on April 11 deferred the hearing after Chhattisgarh government sought more time to argue its case.
Opposing Sen's bail plea, the state government in its affidavit had said that the activist should not be granted any relief as "he has deep links with hardcore Naxalites."
"He (Sen) provides active support and co-ordinates in spreading the base of CPI-Maoist in the country. Apart from providing logistic support, he exchanges information and material directly and indirectly with the Naxalites in the area of Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa and propagates Naxal ideology," the affidavit filed by the state government said.
According to the state government, Sen helped in arranging accommodation for Naxal leaders in Raipur and through his wife Elina, he also helped in opening bank accounts of hardcore Naxalites Shankar Singh and Amita Shrivastava.
The vice-president of People's Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL), Sen was convicted for sedition and sentenced to life imprisonment along with Naxal ideologue Narayan Sanyal and Kolkata businessman Piyush Guha for colluding with the Maoists.
Sen's conviction has been widely slammed by his supporters and even some international human rights bodies, some have even sought government's permission to observe the court proceedings in the case.
Slamming the Chhattisgarh court's judgement, Amnesty International has said, "Sen has been convicted under laws that are impermissibly vague and fall well short of international standards for criminal prosecution. State and federal authorities in India should immediately drop these politically motivated charges and release him."
Eminent citizens have also come out in support of Sen. Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has also criticised the judgement, saying the Chhattisgarh government was not able to come up with any solid evidence to prove its a case against Sen.
Who is Binayak Sen?
- He has worked for 25 years as a doctor with tribals in Chhattisgarh
- Criticised Salwa Judum for rights violations, misuse of powers
- Was a member of State Committee on Health Sector Reforms
- Won several awards for contribution to health and human rights
- Vice President of People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL)