Former Delhi University (DU) professor GN Saibaba, who was released from the Nagpur Central Jail today, March 7, after his acquittal in a case with alleged Maoist links, said it's a “wonder that he could come out alive” despite suffering the “brutal” jail life. The Bombay High Court on March 5 set aside the life sentence of Saibaba, noting that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
“There was every chance that I would not have come out alive,” Saibaba told media persons. Earlier, he had refused to talk to the press saying, “My health is very bad. I can't talk. I will have to first take medical treatment, and then only I will be able to speak." The former DU professor, who depends on a wheelchair for mobility, said he changed his mind after requests from lawyers and reporters.
Saibaba said he would be visiting doctors soon. Recalling his eight years of incarceration, which he described as “very rigorous and brutal”, Saibaba said he had no accessibility inside the prison.
“I couldn't pull up, I could not move out of my wheelchair. I could not go to the toilet (on my own), I could not take a bath. It's a wonder that I came out of the prison alive today,” he said, stressing that there was every chance that he could not have made it. The former professor also called the case against him a fabricated one.
Ten years in jail
“Today, you can see, not once but twice, that the higher judiciary confirmed that this case is without facts, evidence and any legally viable matter. Why has it drawn so long? Ten years of my life and my co-accused's life. Who will bring them back?” he questioned.
A family member was waiting for Saibaba outside the jail when he came out in the morning. Saibaba had been lodged in the jail since 2017 after his conviction by a trial court in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district. Before that, he was in prison from 2014 to 2016 and was subsequently granted bail, as reported by PTI.
