Family rejoices Sen's freedom

“The judiciary has stood up for what is correct. He was held on trumped up charges,” Ilina said after arriving in Raipur.

Sen, an award-winning paediatrician and vice-president of People’s Union for Civil Liberties, was held at Bilaspur town in Chhattisgarh on May 14, 2007, under the stringent Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act for his alleged links with Maoist guerrillas, a charge he, his family and activists vehemently deny. He is presently lodged in the Raipur Central Jail.

Ilina and daughter Pranhita flew into Raipur from Mumbai as soon as the news of the court order came. “Justice has prevailed. This is the victory of the legal system,” Ilina said. When asked if her husband would continue working for public health in tribal areas of Chhattisgarh, she said: “I know that the health services that he was providing have suffered in the last two years. But at the moment I am waiting for him to be released and want him to recover from his health problems.”

Binayak’s brother Dipanker said: “Finally, justice has been done. He has been in jail for two years without a shred of evidence against him.” Binayak’s younger daughter Aparajita, who is in Delhi, said she cannot wait for the “scattered family” of four to be united.