From 2014 to 2022, 8,719 people were charged under the draconian UAPA. A majority are languishing in jail, with trials delayed and bail denied, as in the case of GN Saibaba.

Arrested in 2014, the wheelchair-bound professor was kept in solitary confinement and accused of Maoist links. His case highlights not only the manipulation of evidence but also the blatant abuse of power by authorities, often aided by courts. The persecution of Saibaba, along with other high-profile UAPA cases such as Stan Swamy and Siddique Kappan, demonstrates how the state has weaponised literature, witnesses, and fabricated evidence to suppress dissent.

Meanwhile, public opinion is swayed by a media that demonises activists and scholars, branding them as terrorists without focusing on the facts.

In this week’s Let Me Explain, Pooja Prasanna breaks down the issue with examples.

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