Maoist leader’s associate released from Central Jail

Manish Sirhindi 

Tribune News Service 

Patiala, June 2

Bacha Yadav, an associate of Maoist leader Kobad Ghandy, who had been facing charges under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) but was discharged by the court of Additional Sessions and District Judge Mohammad Gulzar for want of prosecution sanction to be given by the Union Government, has been released from the Central Jail here.

Yadav, along with Kobad Ghandy, was booked in January 2010 by the Patiala Sadar police under Sections 10, 13, 18 & 20 of the UAPA and Sections 419 and 120-B of the IPC for holding meetings on the premises of Punjabi University in April and May 2009 to promote Maoist ideologies.

As per the UAPA provisions, the prosecution sanction had to be sought from the Union Government. However, it has not been granted till date in the case of Bacha Yadav. 

The court had ordered that Bacha Yadav be discharged for the time being and if needed, he could be summoned again.

Ghandy, a politburo member of the banned CPI (Maoist), was arrested by the Delhi Police in September 2009. He had later moved a bail plea in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which was rejected. He had pleaded that he was booked for delivering a lecture on the Punjabi University campus at Patiala in April and May of 2009 and at that time, the CPI (Maoist) was not banned. The CPI (Maoist) was banned on June 22, 2009, he had argued.