New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Chhatishgarh government to provide the "best possible medical aid" to civil rights activist Dr Binayak Sen, lodged in Raipur jail for the last two years for his alleged links with Maoists, till the court disposes of his bail plea.
A bench of Justice D K Jain and Justice B S Reddy ordered the best possible medical aid be given to Sen, a medical doctor by profession, while also issuing notice to the state government on his bail plea.
Appearing for Sen, former law minister Ram Jethmalani pleaded to the court to release Sen on bail, saying that the case against him has already been demolished in the trial court as all the material witnesses in the case have been examined and none of them has deposed against him.
Jethmalani said that despite the case against Sen having collapsed, the Chhattishgarh High Court was not entertaining his bail plea.
"This is despite the fact that the law of the land provides for bail in such cases," he argued, prompting the bench to issue notice to the state government on Sen's bail plea.
At this, Jethmalani pleaded to the court to shift Sen, pending the apex court's decision on his bail plea, to the Christian Medical College, Vellore, for treatment of his heart ailment.
Somewhat reluctant to allow the plea to shift Sen outside the state, the bench remarked that he only needed to undergo angioplasty, which could be taken up anywhere.
At this, pointing out to the court that Dr Sen has many of his colleagues in CMC, Vellore, Jethmalani said: "It's a question of heart and one prefers care from a person close to the heart."
The state government has booked Sen, the vice-president of People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act for his alleged links with Maoists.
He was arrested May 14, 2007, after the government accused him of acting as a courier for Maoists in jail.
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