Several activists and organisations in India and abroad have urged Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana to free G.N. Saibaba, a paraplegic former Delhi University professor serving a life term for links with Maoists whose health is said to have turned precarious.

The petition was initiated by the Indian Social Action Forum and has been endorsed by organisations such as the US-based Pen America, Southern Illinois Democratic Socialists of America, civil rights groups, trade unions, Indian and Dalit organisations in the UK, Canada, Germany and the Netherlands, as well as activist groups in India, including the National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled.

The petitioners said: “We know Prof. G.N. Saibaba not only as a member of the academic community, but also as a social justice activist who has fought for the democratic rights of the oppressed, Adivasis (indigenous people of India), Dalits (so-called untouchables), women, religious minorities, and oppressed nationalities. We also know that he is 90 per cent disabled and has been suffering from 19 chronic and acute post-polio medical conditions, some of which are fatal and need immediate medical intervention….

“The Chief Medical Officer of Nagpur Central Prison repeatedly declared that Prof. Saibaba is suffering from many health complications such as high blood pressure, bilateral kidney stones, a gallbladder stone, and kyphoscoliosis-inducing rib crowding.”

Saibaba, who has been in Nagpur Central Prison since 2014, was convicted in 2017. He has protested several times against alleged poor conditions in jail.

He was arrested by Maharashtra police during the rule of the Congress-NCP government of Prithviraj Chavan. Successive governments have consistently opposed even parole, as with other cases of alleged Maoist links such as the Elgaar Parishad case.

The petitioners said in their appeal: “…Saibaba has been losing his remaining bodily abilities because of neglect and lack of proper care and so his ‘life sentence’ is turning into a ‘death sentence’. In the past one year, he has twice tested positive for Covid-19. As his vital organs are failing, he is slowly dying.

“Prof. G.N. Saibaba has been suffering from excruciating pain in both hands, back and hip, because of which he cannot sit for more than a few minutes. The extreme heat and cold conditions of the Anda Cell cause breathing difficulties for him. He also has regular episodes of dizziness.”

The petitioners further pleaded: “We strongly believe that Prof. G.N. Saibaba’s right to fair trial was obstructed by a biased political system. His incarceration is an example of the silencing of political dissent in India. Even though he is on the edge of death, his parole request was rejected three times and medical bail application was denied two times.

“We appeal to you to intervene and deliver justice to Prof. G.N. Saibaba. Immediately, in order to save his life….”