Hyderabad: AIMIM chief and Hyderabad Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday said that Prof GN Saibaba suffered immensely in prison for years because of UAPA and his loved ones had to watch helplessly.
“Prof Saibaba suffered immensely in prison for years because of UAPA & his loved ones had to watch helplessly. UAPA is a monster created by the collaboration of BJP & Congress. Its victims are mostly innocent Muslims, Dalits, Adivasis & dissenters.
Only 3% of accused have been convicted under UAPA, but innocent people arrested under it remain in jail for years,” he tweeted.
After being jailed for over five years under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Bombay high court on Friday acquitted former Delhi University (DU) professor GN Saibaba for alleged Maoist links and attempting to overthrow the government of India.
Saibaba along with co-accused Mahesh Tikri, Hem Mishra, Prashant Rahi, and Vijay Tikri were acquitted. The sixth accused in the case, Pandu Narote died as a result of jail authorities negligence.
The acquittal was granted by Justice Rohit Baban Deo and Justice AL Pansare.
Dr Gokarakonda Naga Saibaba was languishing in Nagpur’s Central prison since 2017 despite repeated appeals to the court to release him.
Saibaba was in jail for his alleged links with banned extreme left organisations. While he was granted bail after his initial arrest in 2014, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2017 for connections with Communist Party of India (Maoist) and its frontal organisation, the banned Revolutionary Democratic Front (RDF).
Despite his repeated denial that he had nothing to do with the banned organisation, he was charged under Sections 13, 18, 20, 38 and 39 of the UAPA and Section 120 B of the Indian Penal Code.
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