Bombay HC grants bail to Bhima Koregaon accused DU professor after 5 years in jail

The Bombay High Court has granted bail to former Delhi University (DU) professor Hany Babu, who was arrested in 2020 for his involvement in the Bhima Koregaon violence case. A division bench comprising Justices A S Gadkari and Ranjitsinha R Bhonsale ordered Babu’s release on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh, along with sureties.

Former DU professor was arrested on July 28, 2020, and has been in custody for 1,955 days, charged with alleged links to a Maoist conspiracy and involvement in an alleged conspiracy to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He was accused of inciting caste-based violence through speeches on December 31, 2017, which resulted in violent clashes the next day in Bhima Koregaon and nearby villages in Maharashtra.

Additionally, Babu was also accused of being a part of a committee which supported GN Saibaba, a fellow academic, who was sentenced to life imprisonment for an alleged “Maoist connection.” He was charged under multiple provisions of the Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

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Several bail pleas were rejected

As per media reports, earlier, in 2021, his family and lawyers had accused authorities of denying him medical treatment despite his complaints of eye infection, pain and loss of vision.

In February 2022, a trial court in Maharashtra rejected the bail plea filed by him. Later in September 2022, the Bombay HC upheld the trial court's decision to reject his bail plea. However, in May this year, Babu withdrew his plea from the Supreme Court, citing a change in circumstances and indicated that he would move a fresh bail plea before the Bombay HC.

“It is really horrific that a university professor is languishing in jail for so many years without a trail, without having done any specific crime even according to the charge sheet and based only on the documents found in his computer, which was taken away in a raid by the police before his arrest without following any procedures,” Babu’s wife Jenny Rowena earlier said to Maktoob Media.