On Friday, August 4, Bombay High Court judge Rohit B Deo resigned from his post citing personal reasons. Reportedly, the second-senior most judge at Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court was heard saying in the courtroom that he cannot compromise on his self-respect. Justice Rohit B Deo gained attention in October last year after he acquitted former Delhi University professor GN Saibaba in a case for his links with Maoists.
While announcing his resignation, Justice Rohit B Deo apologised to everyone present in the courtroom on Friday saying that he is sorry if he has hurt anyone.
“I apologise to each and every one of you who are present in court. I scolded you because I want you to improve. I don’t want to hurt anyone of you because you all are like family to me and I am sorry to tell you that I have submitted my resignation. I can’t work against my self-respect. You people work hard,” Deo said.
One of Justice Deo’s most recent decisions was to stay the implementation of a government resolution authorising the Maharashtra government to cancel punitive action against contractors working on the Samruddhi Expressway Project.
In January this year, Justice Rohit B Deo heard a case submitted by Lalan Kishore Singh, a wager and activist, challenging a notice issued by the Nagpur Police. The daily wager was summoned for questioning after filing an RTI Act application requesting information regarding the security offered at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters in Nagpur. The government pleader apologised to the petitioner in court and assured the bench that no further action would be taken against him by the police. Based on this statement, the Court dismissed the petition.
GN Saibaba’s acquittal
In October 2022, the Division Bench of Bombay High Court comprising Justices Rohit B Deo and Anil Pansare acquitted GN Saibaba who was booked under UAPA due to procedural lapses.
Back then, the court stated that, while the charges against the accused are severe and terrorism poses a significant threat to the country, a civil democracy cannot ignore procedural safeguards provided to the accused. “Every safeguard, however minuscule, legislatively provided to the accused must be zealously protected,” the bench said last year.
It is notable that in March 2017, the Gadchiroli Sessions Court convicted and sentenced GN Saibaba and seven others to life in prison for their involvement with the Revolutionary Democratic Front (RDF), an offshoot of the CPI(Maoist). Saibaba and the others were seen posing with Naxal literature, and the court stated that they meant to distribute the literature in Gadchiroli in order to urge others to join the Naxalites.
Supreme Court set aside Bombay HC order acquitting GN Saibaba
In April of this year, the Supreme Court overturned Saibaba’s acquittal and remanded the case to the Nagpur bench for reconsideration by a different panel. The Supreme Court also urged the High Court to rule on the case within four months.
The High Court’s October 14, 2022 order granting Saibaba’s appeal against a 2017 trial court decision convicted and sentencing him to life in prison was challenged in the case that resulted in the verdict. The Maharashtra government argued that, in light of Section 465 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, failing to obtain sanction cannot result in acquittal.
Justice Rohit B Deo’s term was set to end on December 4, 2025, but in an unprecedented move, he announced his resignation.
