By IANS,
New Delhi : The Supreme Court is to hear Monday the bail plea of civil rights activist Binayak Sen, lodged in a Raipur jail for more than two years for his alleged links with Maoists.
A bench of Justice D.K. Jain and Justice B.S. Reddy had May 4 issued notice to the Chhattisgarh government on Sen’s bail plea.
While seeking its reply, the bench had also ordered the state government to provide him the “best possible medical aid” for the heart ailment he has been suffering from.
A vacation bench of Justice Markandey Katju and Justice Deepak Verma Friday slated Sen’s bail plea for hearing Monday after former law minister Shanti Bhushan, appearing for Sen, reminded the bench that despite the notice being issued on the matter, the apex court was yet to slate his plea for hearing.
The senior counsel also pleaded to the court to accord an urgent hearing to Sen’s plea in view of his precarious health condition.
The state government has booked Sen, the vice president of People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) under the stringent anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, for his alleged links with Maoists.
He was arrested May 14, 2007 and accused of acting as a courier for an alleged Maoist lodged in jail.
On May 4, former law minister Ram Jethmalani, appearing for Sen, had sought bail for him pleading that “the case against him has already been demolished in the trial court as all the material witnesses in the case have been examined,” and none of them have deposed against him.
Jethmalani had contended that despite the case against Sen having been demolished, the Chhattisgarh High Court was not entertaining his bail plea.
Apprising the bench of Sen’s medical condition, he had pleaded to the court to shift him to Christian Medical College in Vellore for treatment of his heart ailment, pending the apex court’s decision on his bail plea.
The court, however, had asked the state government to provide Sen the best possible treatment.