The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to former Nagpur University professor Shoma Sen who is booked under the draconian UAPA for alleged Maoist links in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case.
Sen, 64, was arrested on 6 June 2018 and has been languishing in jail since then.
The bench of justices Aniruddha Bose and AG Masih passed the order considering her medical condition, advanced age and the delay in framing charges. The court said that any observation on the allegations against her is prima facie and will not affect the trial, which is still pending.
16 eminent scholars and human rights defenders were arrested in the Bhima Koregaon case.
Sen is among few accused who have got bail. In 2021, Sudha Bharadwaj got default bail. In 2022, Anand Teltumbde got bail on merits and Varavara Rao was given bail by the Supreme Court on medical grounds.
Others who are still in prison are Jyoti Jagtap, Sagar Gorkhe, Ramesh Gaichor, Mahesh Raut, Surendra Gadling, Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson and Hany Babu.
Last year, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira also got bail on merits. Gautam Navlakha was shifted to house arrest due to his ill health. Navlakha and Mahesh Raut were given bail by the Bombay high court on merits, but the order was stayed by the same court and extended by the Supreme Court.
