Family says will appeal against the verdict
A Chhattisgarh court held Dr Binayak Sen, a human right activist, and two others guilty on Decmber 24. He was charged with treason, helping Maoists and waging war against India. The other two held guilty are Naxal ideologue Narayan Sanyal and Kolkata businessman Piyush Guha.
Sen was arrested in May 2007 from Bilaspur under the stringent Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act for alleged links with Maoists. He was released on bail in May 2009 on the order of the Supreme Court. Trial against him was going on in the Raipur District Court since May 2008. The hearing completed last week. According to news reports, the prosecution claimed in the court that Sen was involved in establishing an urban network for the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist).
Dr Sen is a paediatrician who has worked with tribals in Chhattisgarh. Human rights activists in India and abroad have for long been demanding for the freedom of Sen, calling his detention unreasonable and against the human rights. Gautam Bandopadhyay of Nadi Ghati Morcha, a non-profit based in Chhattisgarh said the verdict will not dampen the spirit of the human rights activists. “The verdict will be challenged in the upper court. The work for defending the constitutional rights will continue,” he said. Sen’s family said they will appeal against the judgement in a higher court
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