Maoist leader Amitabh Bagchi gets bail after 16 years
After spending 16 years in jail, senior CPI (Maoist) leader Amitabh Bagchi has been granted bail by the Telangana High Court in connection with a crime registered in 2008 in which he was accused of conspiring against the state.
Bagchi, originally from Kolkata and an alumnus of Jadavpur University, has been in judicial custody since February 2010 for his role in Naxalite activities and has been detained at different jails, including Cherlapalli prison.
Prosecution can still appeal this latest bail order
The court's decision came despite prosecutors warning he might return to Maoist activities if released, pointing to his past record.
However, the judge dismissed these concerns since they'd already been discussed before.
Bagchi has been convicted and sentenced to life by a Ranchi court in a 2009 offense and to eight years in a 2011 NIA case.
The prosecution can still appeal this latest bail order.