Bombay HC Grants Bail to DU Professor Hany Babu in Bhima Koregaon Case After 4 Years, Major Relief from UAPA
Mumbai. The Bombay High Court on Thursday granted bail to Delhi University professor and noted academic Dr. Hany Babu, who was arrested in 2020 and charged under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
His partner and fellow academic, Jenny Rowena, informed ‘Maktoob Media’ that a division bench of Justice A.S. Gadkari and Justice Ranjitsinha Raja Bhonsale granted the bail. However, a detailed order in the matter is currently awaited.
Dr. Hany Babu, a staunch supporter of Dalit and Adivasi rights and an anti-caste activist, was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on July 28, 2020. He has been detained at Taloja Central Jail in Navi Mumbai for the last four years.
Authorities had accused Babu and several other prominent social activists of allegedly inciting caste-based violence through provocative speeches on December 31, 2017, which led to violent clashes the following day in Bhima Koregaon and neighbouring villages of Maharashtra. Authorities also accused them of having ties to banned Maoist groups. He was charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the UAPA.
Expressing her disappointment over his long incarceration, Dr. Hany Babu’s wife and Delhi University professor Jenny Rowena had previously told ‘Maktoob’, “It is truly horrific that a university professor is languishing in jail for so many years without a trial, and without having committed any specific crime even according to the chargesheet. The case is solely based on documents found in his computer, which the police seized in a raid before his arrest without following any due procedure.”
She further stated that this incident shows that such a thing can happen to anyone who works for the larger social good and does not tow the government line, adding that it needs to be viewed seriously and condemned.
It is also noteworthy that in 2021, his family and lawyers had levelled serious allegations against authorities, claiming that he was denied timely medical treatment despite complaints of an acute eye infection, pain, and gradual loss of vision. The bail granted by the Bombay High Court is now being viewed as a significant relief for him.
