SHOMA SEN WALKS OUT OF JAIL AFTER 6 YEARS

MUMBAI: Former Nagpur University professor and activist Shoma Sen walked out of Byculla women's prison on Wednesday, nearly six years after her arrest in connection with the Elgar Parishad case in 2018.

Arrested on June 6, 2018, by National Investigative Agency and booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for her alleged links with the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), Sen was granted bail by Supreme Court on April 5.

She had been facing pretrial incarceration for five-and-a-half years, said her senior counsel Anand Grover, while seeking her bail in SC. He had also pointed out to SC that several co-accused had been granted bail for delayed trial and prolonged jail.

Justices Aniruddha Bose and George Masih of SC had granted Sen bail imposing various conditions which included prior court nod to leave Maharashtra and to surrender her passport.

On Wednesday, after completing the bail formalities, she was released and united with her family.

On Jan 8, 2018, Vishrambaug police in Pune registered an FIR on a complaint of Tushar Damgude over allegedly inflammatory speeches made at the Elgar Parishad held on Dec 31, 2017. Later, the UAPA was invoked in the case. Among the 16 arrested in the case, Fr Stan Swamy (84), a tribal rights activist based in Jharkhand, passed away in custody in July 2021. Seven others have been granted bail so far.