StatementbyAcademics

08, May 2017


 


Statement
by Academics on Dr. Binayak Sen judgment

We are deeply
shocked by the judgment of a Chhattisgarh court holding the human rights
activist Dr. Binayak Sen to be guilty of sedition, and sentencing him to
life imprisonment.  

Dr. Binayak
Sen never resorted to violence against any other person, never incited
anyone else to resort to violence, never entered into any conspiracy against
the Constitutional order of the country, and never entered into regular
service of any organisation that was involved in any such conspiracy, for
furthering its cause. On the contrary, as a doctor he served the people with
devotion and helped to save many lives; as a human rights activist he stood
up in defence of the rights of the downtrodden. And yet he has been handed
down this sentence whose savagery is unbelievable. 

Such an
action on the part of the State in the name of preserving the Constitutional
order will only serve to undermine that Constitutional order itself. It will
inevitably raise the thought in the minds of many that an order within which
the activities of a person like Dr. Sen can be held to be “seditious” is not
worth defending. 

Such an
impression must be avoided. The damage done by this shocking verdict to our
Constitutional order must be undone. The higher judiciary of the country
must hear his appeal expeditiously, must grant him immediate bail till the
end of the appeal process, and must judge his case with enlightened reason.

 

Professor
Prabhat Patnaik, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

Professor
Noam Chomsky, MIT, Cambridge, Mass, USA

Professor
Amiya Kumar Bagchi, Institute of Development Studies, Kolkata

Dr. Ashok
Mitra, former Finance Minister, Govt of West Bengal

Professor
Akeel Bilgrami, Columbia University, New York, USA

Professor
Romila Thapar, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

Dr Vina
Mazumdar, National Research Professor, New Delhi

Professor
Jasodhara Bagchi, Jadavpur University, Kolkata

Professor
Utsa Patnaik, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

Professor Muchkund Dubey,
former Secretary and Ambassador, Government of India

Professor Partha
Chatterjee, CSSS Kolkata

Dr S.P. Shukla, former
Member, Planning Commission, Government of India

Professor
C. P. Chandrasekhar, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

Professor
T. Jayaraman, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai

Professor
Jayati Ghosh, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

Mr Sashi
Kumar, Journalist and Educationist, Chennai

Dr B. K.
Chandrashekhar, former Minister, Karnataka, Bangalore

Dr Vinod
Raina, Educationist, New Delhi

Ms Indira
Chandrasekhar, Tulika Publishers, New Delhi

Dr Mushirul
Hasan, Director, National Archives of India

Professor
Mohan Rao, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

Professor
Alok Rai, University of Delhi

Dr. Praveen
Jha, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

Professor
Zoya Hasan, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

Dr Anita
Raina, University of Delhi

Dr. Vikas
Rawal, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

Professor
Malini Bhattacharya, Jadavpur University, Kolkata

Ms Smita
Gupta, Institute of Human Development, New Delhi

Ms Githa
Hariharan, Writer, New Delhi

Professor
Anuradha Chenoy, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

Professor
Mihir Bhattacharya, Jadavpur University, Kolkata

Professor
Kamal Chenoy, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

Professor
Aijaz Ahmad, New Delhi

Professor
Nivedita Menon, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

Dr. G.
Arunima, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

Professor
Neeladri Bhattacharya, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

Dr. Aditya
Nigam, Centre for Study of Developing Societies, New Delhi

Dr Chitra
Joshi, University of Delhi

Rahul Roy,
Film maker

Professor
Vijay Prashad, University of Connecticut, USA

Prof. Rajeev Bhargava,

Centre for Study of Developing Societies, New Delhi

Seema Mustafa,
Journalist, New Delhi

Prof. Achin Vanaik,
University of Delhi

Pamela Philippose,
Journalist, New Delhi

Fr Cedric Prakash,
Director, PRASHANT, Ahmedabad

Dr Partho
Datta, University of Delhi

Mr Prashant
Bhushan, Lawyer, Delhi

Professor
Sumit Sarkar, formerly University of Delhi

Professor
Tanika Sarkar, Jawaharlal Nehru University

Dr Himanshu,
Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

Dr Avinash
Jha, University of Delhi

Ms Teesta
Setalvad, Mumbai

Dr Badri
Raina, University of Delhi

Professor
Sumangala Damodaran, Amedkar University, New Delhi

Professor
Nandini Sundar, University of Delhi

Dr AJC
Bose, University of Delhi

Dr
Parthapratim Pal, Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata

Dr
Saumyajit Bhattacharya, University of Delhi

Mr Harsh
Mander, Member National Advisory Council, Delhi

Dr Rahul
Roy, Indian Statistical Institute, New Delhi

Professor
Venkatesh Athreya, MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, Chennai

Professor
Sushil Khanna, Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata

Ms Dipa
Sinha, Right to Food Campaign, New Delhi

Dr Dilip
Simeon, University of Delhi

Ms Rajarshi
Dasgupta, Kolkata

Professor
Surajit Mazumdar, ISID, New Delhi

Mr Ankur
Khanna, actor, Kolkata

Mr Praful
Bidwai, Journalist, New Delhi

Dr Ayesha
Kidwai, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

Mr Pradeep
Magazine, Journalist, New Delhi

Mr Indrajit
Hazra, Journalist, Delhi

Professor
Tulsi Ram, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

Mr Vinod
Sharma, Journalist, New Delhi

Ms Radhika
Menon, Tulika Books, Chennai

Dr Neeraj
Javed, University of Delhi

Mr Asad
Zaidi, Publisher, New Delhi

Dr K. R.
Nayar, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

Mr Nasir
Khan, New Delhi

Dr Smitha
Francis, Economic Research Foundation, New Delhi

 Dr Murali
Kallummal, Centre for WTO Studies, New Delhi

Ms Kamla
Bhasin, Jagori, New Delhi

Prabir
Purkayastha, Delhi Science Forum, New Delhi

 

 

 


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