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The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to professor and women's rights activist Shoma Sen, accused in Bhima Koregaon case.
A bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Augustine George Masih set aside the Bombay High Court order which rejected her bail plea. The bail was granted to Sen by the apex court after noting that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) did not oppose her bail. "We have seen she is of advanced age and the effect of delaying trial at this stage...in addition to her medical conditions. She should not be denied the privilege of being released on bail," the bench said in its order. While granting bail to Sen, the apex court imposed certain conditions on her including, she will not leave the State of Maharashtra and surrender the passport. The top court said Sen shall inform NIA about her residence. She shall use only one mobile number and inform NIA officer about her mobile number and ensure that number remains active and charged, ordered the bench. The GPS of her mobile should be active and her phone should be paired with phone of NIA officer so that her location can be ascertained, it added. The bench further said that if the conditions are breached, it would be open to prosecution to seek cancellation of bail. NIA had earlier informed the apex court that it does not seek the custody of Sen any longer as probe is completed and chargesheet has been filed. Sen had sought interim bail on the deteriorating health condition and challenged an order of the Bombay High Court declining her bail. The Bombay High Court had in January 2023 directed Professor Sen to approach the special NIA court for bail before coming to the High Court. Sen, an English literature professor, has been behind bars since June 6, 2018 for offences under UAPA charges. She had applied for bail before the Pune Sessions Court in December 2018 prior to the filing of the chargesheet and another application after the chargesheet, however, both applications were rejected by the Sessions Court in November 2019. Later, Sen, the former departmental head at the Nagpur University, approached the Bombay High Court seeking bail. However, the High Court declined to grant her bail. Thereafter, she approached the apex court. Sen and others were booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 in connection with 2018 caste-based violence that broke out at Bhima Koregaon in Pune, and for having alleged links with the proscribed outfit, Communist Party of India (Maoists). (ANI)
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