Ex Nagpur University Professor Shoma Sen Walks Out Of Jail In Elgar Parishad Case

Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case accused and former Nagpur University professor Shoma Sen was released from prison here on Wednesday afternoon, an official said.

The 66-year-old professor of English literature had obtained bail from the Supreme Court on April 5.

Shoma Sen, arrested in the case on June 6, 2018, walked out of the Byculla jail in central Mumbai after the completion of all formalities, the senior prison official told news agency PTI.

Her lawyer Indira Jaising tweeted about her release on X, saying, "She is finally out, Shoma Sen with her daughter outside Byculla jail." Sen was one of the 16 persons including activists and academics arrested in the case, related to the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017. 

Pune Police had alleged that the conclave was backed by Maoists, and the 'inflammatory' speeches made there fuelled caste violence near the Bhima Koregaon war memorial in Pune district the next day.

Of the accused, P Varavara Rao, Sudha Bharadwaj, Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Ferreira and Anand Teltumbde are already out on bail, while Gautam Navlakha is under house arrest after initial incarceration. Father Stan Swamy, another accused, died in prison while his bail application on medical grounds was before the court.

On April 5, the top court granted bail to Shoma Sen.

She shall keep the location status (GPS) of her mobile phone active round the clock while on bail and her phone shall be paired with that of the investigating officer of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to enable him ascertain her exact location, the bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Augustine George Masih said while granting her relief.

Shoma Sen shall not leave Maharashtra without the leave of the special NIA court, it added.

"The (applicant's) ailments by themselves may not be serious enough for granting bail on medical ground. But taking cognisance of the composite effect of delay in framing charge, period of detention undergone by her, the nature of allegations against her vis-a-vis the materials available before this court at this stage in addition to her age and medical condition, we do not think she ought to be denied the privilege of being enlarged on bail pending further process subsequent to issue of chargesheets against her," the bench said.

Regarding the allegation against Shoma Sen of raising funds for a terrorist act, the bench said at this stage, on the strength of the material produced before it, the prosecution has not been able to corroborate or even raise a hint of corroboration of the allegation.

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