Bombay High Court issues notice to Maharashtra over letter on failing health of prof held for Maoist links

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday took suo moto cognizance of the letter written by Purnima Upadhyay of Khoj foundation, highlighting the deteriorating health condition of Delhi University professor GN Saibaba, who has been arrested by the police and lodged at the Nagpur prison for over a year.

A division bench of chief justice Mohit Shah and justice AK Menon issued notices to the state, commissioner of police, Nagpur, superintendent of Nagpur Central Jail and chief medical officer of the prison, seeking their responses on the health condition of Saibaba and the progress of investigation in his case.

Saibaba has been arrested for alleged Maoists links by the Maharashtra police; he was 90% handicapped due to post-polio paralysis and is wheelchair-bound. Upadhyay's letter relies on media reports highlighting the medical report submitted by the prison officials to a court in Gadchiroli.

The report highlights that the professor has developed several ailments, crippling his entire body and leaving only his right hand in working condition. The report also says that the professor is now a "known case of systemic hypertension with ischemic heart disease with cervical radiculopathy left side with bilateral kidney stone [left kidney 0.6 cm and right kidney 0.7 cm in size] with gallbladder stone [0.5 cm in size] with kyphoscoliosis".

The court has now directed the authorities to file their responses to the petition by July 17.