New Delhi:
After a two-year ordeal it took the Supreme court 60 seconds to grant bail to paediatrician and human rights activist Binayak Sen. Sen was arrested on charges of having links with Naxals. However, the Chhattisgarh government could never prove against Sen.
"Across the world, the support of many people has made this day possible. I would like to thank them," Sen said after his release.
This was the second time that Dr Sen's bail plea had come up for hearing.
"I am happy that SC has granted bail. For the last two years we had undergone trauma," Sen's daughter Aparajita said.
Sen, who had been accused of carrying letters for Naxal leader Narayan Sanyal, was denied bail several times before. For many, Sen became a symbol of state sponsored oppression because he repeatedly criticised the government-backed anti-Maoist group Salwa Judum.
"Binayak blew the whistle on human rights violations by Chhattisgarh government. The SC has given bail to him on personal bond which means court has recognised his freedom," said Kavita Srivastav, Secretary, PUCL.
Since January, Binayak Sen had been complaining of a recurring chest pain in jail. But the government refused to grant him permission to travel to Vellore for a check up. Monday's court order is the first breakthrough in Sen's prolonged battle for justice.