Binayak’s Special Leave Petition admitted by Supreme Court!
New Delhi, 4 May 2009: In a very positive development the Supreme Court of India today admitted the Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by Dr Binayak Sen for consideration of his bail application and agreed to issue notice to the Government of Chhattisgarh to respond in two weeks time.
At the start of the hearing Justices D.K.Jain and B.Sudershan Reddy wanted to know why they should consider the SLP and what had changed since the last time Dr Sen approached the Supreme Court for bail in August 2007. To this the defence lawyer Ram Jethmalani replied that over the past year all the material witnesses listed by the prosecution had already deposed in a Raipur fast track court without providing a shred of evidence to prove their charges against Dr Sen. Also Mr Jethmalani argued that bail should anyway be granted to a person of Dr Sen’s profile as there was no danger of his absconding or tampering with evidence.
Very significantly the Supreme Court also ordered the Government of Chhattisgarh to provide the best medical facilities to Dr Binayak Sen. Dr Sen had been recommended angiography and possible bypass surgery for his heart condition by a court approved doctor in Raipur in March this year. His request to be treated at at facility of his choice outside the state had however been stalled by the Raipur jail authorities who insisted that he seek treatment within Chhattisgarh.
Note: A detailed report based on the exact wordings used by the Supreme Court in its order will be posted soon as an update.
UPDATE : Order of hearing. Disappointment about treatment
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Finally, its a moment of reckoning- Victory to the sustained campaign, am sure even Binayak would be surprised by kind of support he got nationally and internationally. Its a tribute to his personal and professional integrity, which would inspire many young minds to follow one’s conviction..