Posts Tagged ‘Binayaksen
Binayak’s paper in the Lancet Special
India: Towards Universal Health Coverage
Published January 11, 2011
Executive summary
This Series of papers on India’s path to full health coverage reveals that a failing health system is perhaps India’s greatest predicament. The papers in this Series reveal the full extent of opportunities and difficulties in Indian healthcare, by examining infectious and chronic diseases, availability of treatments and doctors, and the infrastructure to bring about universal health care by 2020. The Series brings together a rapidly growing body of evidence to show that Indian health is in crisis. As the country with the largest democracy in the world, India is well positioned to put health high on the political agenda.
One notable absentee from the launch of the Series on Jan 11, 2011 is paediatrician and Comment author Binayak Sen. He remains in prison, an appalling situation discussed in an Editorial in the Jan 8-14 issue of The Lancet.
The Lancet, Early Online Publication, 11 January 2011
Securing the right to health for all in India
The debates around securing the right to health for all in India are at a complex and sensitive stage. In India, we have gross inequity in health-care delivery. The huge inequity is evident, on the one hand, in flourishing international medical tourism, and high-technology biomedical interventions done cheaply, and, on the other, minimum levels of health care being unavailable to those unable to pay.1
The health status of people transcends the health-care sector, and the social determinants of health, such as food, water, sewerage, and shelter, still elude large numbers of the poorest citizens in India. Between the early 1990s, when the process of economic reforms began, and now, the yearly per head consumption of food grains in the country has drastically deteriorated.2 The latest National Family Health Survey (2005—06) provided grim evidence of very slow improvement in infant mortality, persistently low rates of child immunisation, and shocking rates of malnutrition.3 Inequity in social determinants of health and health care in a market-based system itself becomes a pathogenic factor that drives the engine of deprivation.
Read the rest of this entry »
Kamayani Writes about Meeting Binayak
Crises Magazine
Kamayani Bali Mahabal
On May 29th Morning I left Mumbai for the fact finding mission to Dantewada for demolition of the Gandhi an Himanshu’s Vanvasi Chetna Ashram. I reached Raipur, but I could not keep my excitement to meet Dr Binayak Sen, the journey from airport to his home seemed like a century.
As I reached his house in Raipur, I saw him standing outside his house in a khadi kurta and pyjama with an effervescent smile. I gave him a huge hug from more than 2,000 global members of the facebook group of Free Dr Binayak Sen Campaign.
The formal order of May 25 Hearing
ITEM NO.32 COURT NO.2 SECTION IIA
SUPREME COURT OF INDIA
RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
Petition(s) for Special Leave to Appeal (Crl) No(s).3378/2009
(From the judgement and order dated 02/12/2008 in MCRC No. 1421/2008
of The HIGH COURT OF CHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR)
BINAYAK SEN Petitioner(s)
VERSUS
STATE OF CHHATTISGARH Respondent(s)
(With appln(s) for bail and office report ))
Date: 25/05/2009 This Petition was called on for hearing today.
CORAM :
HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE MARKANDEY KATJU
HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE DEEPAK VERMA
[VACATION BENCH]
For Petitioner(s) Mr. Shanti Bhushan, Sr. Adv.
Mr. Soli J.Sorabjee, Sr. Adv.
Mr. Sandeep Kapur, Adv.
Mr. Shivek Trihan, Adv.
Mr. Mehul Milind Gupta, Adv.
Ms. Anjana Prakash, Adv.
Mr. Anuj Prakash, Adv.
Mr. Shishir Pinaki, Adv.
Mr. Anwesh Madhukar, Adv.
Mrs Manik Karanjawala,Adv.
For Respondent(s) Mr. Mukul Rohatgi, Sr. Adv.
Mr. Atul Jha, Adv.for
Mr. D.K.Sinha, Adv.
UPON hearing counsel the Court made the following
ORDER
Heard learned counsel for the parties.
In the facts and circumstances of the case, We direct that the
petitioner shall be released on bail on furnishing personal bonds to
the satisfaction of the trial Court.
The Special Leave Petition is disposed of accordingly.
(Parveen Kr. Chawla) ( Indu Satija)
Court Master Court Master
HT Editorial: 741 days later…
Editorial
Indrajit Hazra, Hindustan Times
The Great Indian Democracy, strange as it may sound to us still triumphantly waving our ink-marked fingers in the air, is not only about the freedom to vote and such genuinely wonderful things. It’s also about being told what’s going on when someone is arrested and kept locked away beyond the reach of queries and counter-queries for a little over two years.
On May 14, 2007, Dr Binayak Sen, paediatrician, public health and human rights activist, was arrested for violating the provisions of the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act, 2005, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. He had allegedly acted as a courier for a Naxalite detained in Raipur Jail and had then absconded. We needn’t believe Dr Sen when he denies the charges, maintaining that his interactions with the Naxal leader in the capacity of a physician had taken place under the supervision of jail authorities and after being given permission by them. Also, just because he is a good, caring doctor and has been defended by the likes of Noam Chomsky and Amartya Sen shouldn’t force us to believe that he was, as he said, on pre-announced leave and had returned to Chhattisgarh when he heard that he was an accused.
But we do have the right to know three things now that Dr Sen has been finally granted bail by the Supreme Court: one, what evidence was provided to establish his ‘crime’; two, why was his ‘crime’ considered a non-bailable offence; and why have we been kept in the dark about the exact nature of the crime he allegedly committed in 2007?
Read the rest of this entry »
Binayak Granted Bail.. Judge says Two years is too much!
Follow Our Live Tweets from Supreme Court Hearing on Binayak’s Bail Plea
http://twitter.com/binayaksen
# judge did not even want to hear prosecution lawyer! dismissed him in one sentence ‘bail granted’
# binayak will be released in raipur today on personal bond.
# binayak granted bail. judge says two years is too much! please RT
# bail granted!
# govt affidavit produces no evidence to prove charges against binayak. their case rests on innuendoes about b’s alleged links to maoists
# case number 22 on now. ten more to go.
# trial of binayak in raipur court also resumes today.
# overall mood among defence lawyers is upbeat but cautious too due to bad experience in the past.
# a lot of interest among supreme court lawyers also in binayak’s case.
# case number 13 being heard now. It will take another 20 min to start hearing of binayak’s bail plea
# justice rajinder sachar is also appearing on behalf of binayak.
# right now case number 7 is being heard. binayak’s case is number 32
# once the hearing begins updates will be difficult due to restrictions on mobile phones.
# lot of media here to cover the case.
# but the chances are better than ever before. about
# today is the day. it will be bail or no bail. keep all ur fingers crossed!
# govt affidavit claims binayak likely to abscond if given bail. complains about media campaign and pressure from foreign nationals!
# c’garh govt arguing against bail saying the trial is almost over!
# hearing likely around ‘eleven o clock.
# shanthi bhushan to appear for binayak. soli sorabjee also present as support.
# c’garh govt finally filed its counter affidavit last night. contents not yet known.
Free Binayaksen – An Interesting Blog Post
JohnyML in By All Means Necessary
I don’t like wearing my conscience on my sleeves. But today I feel like doing it, thanks to Facebook, a networking site that I started hating recently.
I have been seeing Free ‘Dr.Binayak Sen’ campaigns as taglines of my friends for a long time. But I had never thought of asking these questions, ‘Who is Dr.Binayak Sen?’, ‘Why is he arrested?’ etc.
Today, I chanced upon the country singer, Susmit Bose’s Youtube posting on Dr.Binayak Sen. Let me tell you I was more interested to see Susmit Bose’ singing than the cause for which he was singing.
I googled to know more about Susmit Bose. The more I learnt about Bose, the more I felt the need to know about Dr.Binayak Sen. So I started googling Dr.Binayak Sen.
As all of you know by now, Dr.Binayak Sen is detained under the Chattisgarh Special Public Security Act by the Chattisgarh Government. Surprisingly, today (14th May 2009) marks the second anniversary of his detention.
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
Unwell Indian doctor remains in jail : Amnesty
Amnesty International
28 April 2009
The year-long trial of Indian human rights activist Dr Binayak Sen suffered another delay on Monday, further prolonging the doctor’s unjust stay in jail.
Dr Sen’s trial has been adjourned for a month. Also, he continues to be deprived of specialist medical care at a place of his choice, despite fears for his health.
Dr Sen, a pioneer of health care to marginalized and indigenous communities in Chhattisgarh state, has languished in jail for two years. He was arrested on 14 May 2007 and was charged with facilitating armed Maoist violence.
Amnesty International believes that the charges and evidence against Dr Sen are baseless and politically motivated. It has called on the Indian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Dr Sen.
Raipur Satyagraha 6th Week Update, 20 April 09
Update From Rakhi
The sixth batch of 60 protesters took part in the satyagraha for the release of jailed human rights and health activist Dr Binayak Sen, in Raipur today.
The programme began with protestors congregating at Budha Talab and holding a public meeting there.
60 protestors marched through the streets of Raipur and later courted arrest. The courting of arrest occurred after the satyagrahis were detained at Subhash Stadium by the Chhattisgarh authorities, following peaceful non-violent protest. They were all later released.
The satyagrahis who courted arrest included among others:
- 50 workers from Chattisgarh Mukti Morcha (Mazdoor Karyakarta Committee)
- Manohar Kothekar (Jt. Secretary, NTUI)
- Devjit Nandy + 4 activists of NFFPFW (Bilaspur)
- Arvind Ghosh (Activist from Nagpur)
- Sharad Dudhat (Renowned Trade Union leader from Nagpur)
- Aparna Pallavi (Journalist based in Nagpur)
- Shashank Kela (Researcher based in Nagpur)
Detailed updates and photos will follow from participants later.
Election Manifestos: BJP’s Forked Tongue on Salwa Judum
Wada Na Todo Abhiyan has carried out a comparison of electoral manifestos of 4 national parties for the current Lok Sabha elections. Download It
It is noteworthy that the BJP has promised just not a new POTA type law – not satisfied with the draconian UAPA, 2008 – but also the Salwa Judum model to combat Maoist groups (ref. last/fourth page). The relevant point here is that last April the Supreme Court of India expressed its strong disapproval of the state backing up a private vigilante group i.e. the Salwa Judum while hearing a case filed against it. And the BJP government of Chhattisgarh defended itself by claiming that the Salwa Judum is a spontaneous popular initiative and has got nothing to do with the state as such. Yet the BJP is now promising, if elected to power at the Centre, its government would follow the Salwa Judum model to combat the Maoists! Again speaking with a forked tongue! And that too so blatantly.
Binayaksen.net is one of many efforts by well wishers and supporters of Dr Binayak Sen to bring the injustice being done to him by the government of Chhattisgarh to the attention of people around the world. 
