On Justice and State Accountability: The Acquittal of GN Saibaba and Others
Karen Gabriel and P.K. Vijayan | 12 March 2024 | The Quint
“We hold that the trial held despite violation of mandatory provisions of law itself amounts to failure of justice.”
These are the words of Justice Vinay G Joshi and Justice Valimiki S Menezes, in their noteworthy order acquitting Dr GN Saibaba, journalist Prashant Rahi, Mahesh Tikri, Pandu Narote, Hem Mishra and Vijay Tikri of all charges filed against them, almost all of them under the harsh provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (1967), i.e., the UAPA.
In this piece, we consider some subtle notions of justice that are implicit and explicit in this far-reaching judgment…