Make professor Saibaba comfortable: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Maharashtra government to look for an alternate arrangement to house jailed Delhi University professor G.N. Saibaba at Gadchiroli in the state where he is facing trial for his alleged Maoist links.

“We want you (state) to make him comfortable. Tell us how you will make him comfortable. You cannot have him in solitary confinement,” a bench comprising Justices J.S. Khehar and C. Nagappan said, while also directing the state to provide sufficient medical facilities.

The bench also asked the counsel for wheelchair-bound Saibaba to move an exemption plea before the trial court and fixed the matter for further hearing on February 29 when the Maharashtra government will have to inform it about the residential facility to be provided to the jailed professor.

Saibaba is currently lodged in the Nagpur jail. During the hearing, the counsel for the state government said it would conclude the trial in a period of two months and the jailed professor was not kept in solitary confinement. On the other hand, the counsel for the accused said Saibaba was wheelchair-bound and is kept in Nagpur jail that was nearly 170 km away from the place where the trial was being conducted.

Earlier, the apex court had refused to stay a criminal contempt notice issued by the Bombay high court against author Arundhati Roy for her article in a weekly magazine questioning the continued incarceration of Saibaba.

The Bombay high court had on December 23, 2015 issued the contempt notice against the author, for her views on Saibaba’s arrest and rejection of his bail plea early last year. The Gadchiroli police had arrested Saibaba in 2014 for his alleged links with Maoists. He has been on bail since June 2015. Ms Roy had expressed her views on the arrest in a weekly magazine last year.