Delhi University professor who was jailed for alleged Maoist links; GN Saibaba no more

HYDERABAD: Former Delhi University professor Professor GN Saibaba has passed away. He had spent a long time in jail for alleged Maoist links and was later acquitted. He died while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Hyderabad.

Saibaba and six others were acquitted by the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court in March. The high court ruled that the prosecution had not been able to prove the case under the UAPA.

GN Saibaba was lodged in Nagpur Central Jail since his arrest in 2014. On October 14, 2022, the High Court acquitted the accused in the case, including Saibaba. The Supreme Court held a special sitting the very next day and considered the appeal of the Maharashtra government. The implementation of the high court's verdict was stopped. Following this, after hearing the detailed arguments in the case, the high court verdict was set aside.

In 2017, the trial court found Saibaba guilty and sentenced him to life imprisonment. Saibaba filed an appeal in the High Court challenging this and obtained a favourable verdict. He was released from jail in March after he was acquitted of all charges. He was lodged in the jail in a wheelchair due to physical ailments.