Supreme Court grants bail to Binayek Sen

New Delhi, May 25 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to Chhattisgarh human rights activist Binayak Sen, who has been charged of aiding and abetting Naxal activities in Chattisgarh and was lodged in a jail for the past 22 months.

Sen has been in custody since May 2007, and he had contended that there was no evidence against him to be booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

The Chhattisgarh Government has accused Sen, who is the vice-president of the People's Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL), of acting as a courier for an alleged Naxalite who is in jail.

Earlier, Sen had filed a bail petition for an urgent hearing.

The Supreme Court Vacation Bench comprising Justices Markandey Katju and Deepak Vermahad had said that the matter would be listed for hearing on May 25, after senior advocate Shanti Bhushan mentioned Sen's petition in which a notice was issued to the Chhattisgarh government.

After the notice, a Bench headed by Justice D. K. Jain had directed the state government to provide medical aid to Sen, who has been suffering from heart ailments.

He had sought bail on medical grounds, saying that he had been suffering from a heart ailment and needs treatment at the Christian Medical College in Tamil Nadu. Sen, a doctor by profession, had also sought bail on the ground that the chargesheet against him has already been filed and he has remained in jail during the investigation of the case registered against him. (ANI)