G N Saibaba, a former professor at Delhi University, passed away on Saturday at the age of 57. He was receiving treatment at Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences in Hyderabad after undergoing surgery for gallbladder stones.
Saibaba's life took a turn after his arrest on May 9, 2014, in connection with alleged Maoist links. In March 2017, he was convicted alongside five others by a Maharashtra sessions court for alleged involvement with the banned CPI (Maoist) and sentenced to life imprisonment.
The court claimed he played a role in organising meetings between JNU student Hem Mishra, journalist Prashant Rahi, and members of the banned group.
However, on March 5 this year, the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court overturned his life sentence. Justices Vinay Joshi and Valmiki SA Menezes acquitted Saibaba and the other accused due to insufficient evidence, leading to his release from Nagpur Central Jail on March 7.
Saibaba had been an English professor at Delhi University's Ram Lal Anand College since 2003, but his arrest in 2014 led to his suspension.
