Maoist links: Bombay High Court acquits six persons including Saibaba

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday acquitted six persons, including former Delhi University professor GN Saibaba, in an alleged Maoist links case. It was the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court that pronounced the verdict. In 2017, the trial court had sentenced five people, including Saibaba, to life imprisonment and another person to 10 years in prison for alleged Maoist links. This judgment has been set aside by the High Court.

In October 2022, the Nagpur Bench of the High Court had acquitted the accused by assessing that the proceedings of the trial court did not comply with the provisions of the UAPA Act. However, the Maharashtra government approached the Supreme Court against this. The Supreme Court later quashed the judgment of the High Court by pointing out that the trial court convicted Saibaba after examining the evidence in detail. The apex court then asked the High Court to consider the case again. Following this, the High Court once again considered the case. GN Saibaba, who is also a human rights activist, was arrested by the Maharashtra police in 2014 on charges of Maoist links. He was then suspended from the college.