Chhattisgarh HC rejects Binayak Sen’s bail plea

Agencies

New Delhi, 10 February 2011: Chhattisgarh High Court on Thursday rejected the bail application filed by human rights activist Binayak Sen. The two-judge division bench of Justice TP Sharma and Justice RL Jhanwar gave no reason for rejecting the bail petition.

 

The entire process lasted for just a couple of minutes after the court assembled.Reacting to the court order, Sen’s mother Anasuya Sen said, "I knew the bail plea will be rejected. I am not disappointed, I am hurt.""There is no legal action in what they have done. Whatever the state has done is illegal," his mother said.

 

"My son cannot do anything wrong. My son is innocent, he is honest, he is a human rights activist, he is a very good doctor. Believe me he is the best son of our motherland. Ilina Sen will approach the Supreme Court. I believe that Supreme Court will rule in favour of Binayak Sen. I believe that in Supreme Court Binayak Sen will get a better judgment," said Anasuya Sen.

 

Speaking to CNN-IBN, Ilina Sen, Binayak Sen’s wife said they will move Supreme Court against the court order. "Chhattisgarh High Court is order highly deplorable, condemnable. Prosecution has trapped him It is an injustice done to him. We will take this to Supreme Court and get justice for him," said Naxal ideologue Varavara Rao, reacting to the court order.

 

"It is a lengthy judgement. The contention of state government was accepted by the court. Every argument placed before the court by us was rejected. We will appeal in Supreme Court as soon as possible," said Mahendra Dube, Binayak Sen’s counsel.

 

"This order was only related to bail. Final order on the sedition case is yet to come," he said. Sen was sentenced to life imprisonment by a sessions court last year on charges of sedition and links with Naxalites.

 

Sen, vice-president of People’s Union of Civil Liberties, was convicted for sedition and sentenced to life imprisonment along with Naxal ideologue Narayan Sanyal and Kolkata-based businessman Piyush Guha for colluding with Naxals to establish a network to fight the state.

 

Guha’s bail application was also rejected by the court. Additional District and Sessions Judge B P Verma had held the trio guilty under provisions of section 124 A (sedition) and 120 B (conspiracy) of IPC and Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act on December 24.