GN Saibaba

Academic and Activist 

Maharashtra 

HRDA sent an urgent appeal to the National Human Rights Commission over the inhuman treatment being meted out to disabled activist Dr. GN Saibaba by the authorities in Nagpur prison. 

On May 9, 2022, his advocate on record Mr. Akash Sorde went for a jail mulakat to meet him and gave him a few items along with a water bottle. The prison administration refused to take the water bottle but accepted the rest of the items and provided to him. Around 6 pm the same day, the Superintendent along with a large number of prison staff raided his cell and collected used and thrown old Bisleri bottles, glasses, and other inmates’ old bottles. They placed his steel thermos beside his cot and took photographs. Due to his disability he is unable to lift the steel thermos and cannot go and get water since he is a physically challenged person. 

May 10, 2022, the jail authorities fixed a wide-angle CCTV camera in front of his cell that could capture a live video of the entire cell, including the toilet seat and bathing place. CCTV surveillance of a prisoner is a deprivation of his dignity as a human and deprives him of his Constitutional right to privacy. We are shocked that such conditions are being created by the prison authorities violating the NHRC advisory for rights of prisoners.

We urged the Hon’ble Commission to immediately intervene in this matter relating to humiliation and indignity of a well-respected HRD and direct the Director General of Prisons, Maharashtra to take urgent and appropriate measures to remove the CCTV camera in Professor Saibaba’s cell, and provide him with an adequate water bottles.