Jairam Ramesh, a seasoned Congress leader, raced to defend convicted communist professor GN Saibaba while attempting to provide cover fire to urban naxals. In a tweet made on October 14, after the Bombay High Court acquitted Saibaba, Ramesh took to Twitter and attempted to defend him.
He wrote, “Wheelchair-bound Prof GN Saibaba’s acquittal after 5 years in jail proves that ‘urban naxal’ tag invented by PM’s brigade is completely bogus. Many others are still in wholly unjustifiable custody. Such smear tactics must be resisted. I wouldn’t be surprised if PM calls me one too!”
Wheelchair-bound Prof GN Saibaba’s acquittal after 5 years in jail proves that ‘urban naxal’ tag invented by PM’s brigade is completely bogus. Many others are still in wholly unjustifiable custody. Such smear tactics must be resisted.I wouldnt be surprised if PM calls me one too!
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) October 14, 2022
Jairam Ramesh raced to defend Saibaba, claiming that the Urban Naxal label is baseless. Notably, on Saturday the Supreme Court halted the Bombay High Court’s ruling and stayed the release of Saibaba and five others the day after these remarks by Jairam Ramesh. According to the Supreme Court, GN Saibaba was not acquitted on the merits by the high court and therefore the high court sentence was suspended till further hearing in the case.
The bench hearing the case stated that they believe the case is eligible to suspend the HC’s challenged judgement and order. The bench said in its reasons for the ruling that the defendants were convicted following a thorough examination of the evidence. Furthermore, the offences are quite serious, and if the state prevails on the merits, the offences are extremely serious against the interests of society, sovereignty, and the integrity of the country.
The Congress leader attempted to portray Saibaba and the Urban Naxals as innocent, and that the investigation conducted by the police and other authorities was flawed. The Supreme Court specifically said that the High Court did not review the merits, and the court freed the accused solely on the grounds that the UAPA sanction was invalid for the other five, and the same was not obtained for Saibaba.
Journalist Abhijit Majumdar quoted the tweet by Ramesh and mentioned how Saibaba was arrested when the Congress government was in power and not the current dispensation. Majumdar mentioned that Saibaba was raided in September 2013 and was arrested in May 2014, both when the Congress party was in the Centre and Dr Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister.
Hahaha!
— Abhijit Majumder (@abhijitmajumder) October 14, 2022
Search in GN Saibaba’s house: Sept 9, 2013
HM: Sushil Shinde
PM: Manmohan Singh
Govt: Congress/UPA
Arrest of #GNSaibaba: May 9, 2014
HM: Sushil Shinde
PM: Manmohan Singh
Govt: Congress/UPA
Chaman, public memory isn’t so short. #UrbanNaxals https://t.co/T1NzzHOlQh
Saibaba and other alleged suspects were taken into custody between 2013 and 2014. Numerous papers, a hard drive, and pen drives were reportedly taken from Saibaba’s house by the police. The academic, who had been suspended by the university, was imprisoned until the Bombay High Court granted him bail in May 2015 on the basis of his health. Before the Supreme Court granted him bail in September 2016, he was imprisoned once again.
In March 2017, they were found guilty of participating in suspected Maoist activities. Vijay Tirki received harsh imprisonment since he was a first-time offender; the other five prisoners, including Saibaba, received life sentences.
