The Friday’s verdict by Supreme Court granting bail to eminent civil rights activist Dr Binayak Sen, has given hope to two other activists, Kolkata-based businessman Pijush Guha and Naxal ideologue Narayan Sanyal — both of whom are undergoing life sentence along with Dr Sen in Raipur Central jail after being convicted of sedition by a local court here on December 24.
Dr Sen, 61, was charged by the Chhattisgarh police with acting as a courier to carry letters from Mr Sanyal to the alleged Maoist sympathiser Mr Guha. All the three were sentenced to life imprisonment in the same case by district and sessions court at Raipur on December 24. Mr Sanyal was given an additional sentence of ten years in prison for being a member of outlawed organisation like CPI (Maoist).
While Dr Sen and Mr Guha have been lodged in Raipur Central jail, the Maoist ideologue, who is ailing for long, has been shifted from jail to a government hospital here last week, after his condition deteriorated.
“Mr Gujha will file bail petition in SC next week. We were waiting for the verdict on Dr Sen’s bail application in the apex court. Now we are hopeful of getting bail for Mr Guha after Dr Sen was granted bail by the apex court,” Mr Guha’s counsel said.