New Delhi: In a significant development, the Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to professor and women's rights activist Shoma Sen, who is an accused in the Bhima Koregaon case. The decision came after a bench comprising Justices Aniruddha Bose and Augustine George Masih overturned the Bombay High Court's previous rejection of her bail plea.
The apex court's decision to grant bail to Sen was based on the fact that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) did not oppose her bail. The bench, considering her advanced age, medical conditions, and the potential delay in the trial, deemed it appropriate to grant her bail. However, certain conditions were imposed on Sen as part of her bail agreement. She is required to remain within the State of Maharashtra and surrender her passport. Additionally, Sen must inform the NIA about her place of residence and use only one mobile number, which she must keep active and charged. The GPS of her mobile should also be active, and her phone should be paired with that of an NIA officer for location tracking purposes.
The bench made it clear that if Sen breaches any of these conditions, the prosecution reserves the right to seek the cancellation of her bail. The NIA had earlier informed the court that it no longer required Sen's custody as the investigation was complete, and a chargesheet had been filed. Sen had applied for interim bail citing deteriorating health conditions and had challenged the Bombay High Court's decision to deny her bail. The High Court had directed her to approach the special NIA court for bail before seeking relief from the High Court.
Shoma Sen, an English literature professor and former departmental head at Nagpur University, has been in custody since June 6, 2018, facing charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). She had previously applied for bail in the Pune Sessions Court, but her applications were rejected. Sen, along with others, was implicated under the UAPA for her alleged involvement in the 2018 caste-based violence at Bhima Koregaon in Pune and purported links with the banned organization, Communist Party of India (Maoists).
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