India News | Prosecutor in Case Against Saibaba Claims He Was Removed Three Months Ago

Nagpur, Oct 14 (PTI) A special public prosecutor who represented Maharashtra Police in a case of alleged Maoist links against former Delhi University professor G N Saibaba on Friday claimed that he was removed from the case abruptly three months ago. The police, however, denied the claim, stating that he himself had asked to be relieved.

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Advocate P K Sathianathan had appeared as special prosecutor in the case before the Gadchiroli sessions court the during the trial, and later before the Nagpur bench of the high court when it heard the appeals filed by Saibaba and other convicts.

The HC on Friday set aside their convictions.

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When contacted for reaction, Sathianathan told PTI that he was asked not to appear in the case three months ago.

"I received a letter from Sandip Patil, Deputy Inspector General, Naxal range, Gadchiroli, instructing me to not appear in the case henceforth as a senior counsel has been appointed," Sathianathan said.

But DIG Patil denied this, claiming that Sathianathan was discontinued at his own request.

To which Sathinathan said he had never asked to be relieved but only sought that a senior counsel be appointed to argue before the HC.

"But the police relieved me from the case," he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)