New Delhi, May 25 The Supreme Court Monday granted bail to civil rights activist Binayak sen, who has been lodged in a Raipur jail for over two years under unproven charges of links with Maoists in Chhattisgarh.

The bail was granted by a vacation bench of Justice Markandey Katju and Justice Deepak Verma.

Former law minister Shanti Bhushan, appearing for Sen, had earlier pleaded to the court to accord an urgent hearing to Sen’s bail plea in view of his precarious health condition.

A bench of Justice D.K. Jain and Justice B.S. Reddy had May 4 issued notice to the Chhattisgarh government on Sen’s bail plea.

While seeking its reply, the bench had also ordered the state government to provide him the “best possible medical aid” for the heart ailment he has been suffering from.

The Chhattisgarh government has booked Sen, the vice president of People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) under the stringent anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, for his alleged links with Maoists.

He was arrested May 14, 2007 and accused of acting as a courier for an alleged Maoist lodged in jail.

On May 4, former law minister Ram Jethmalani, appearing for Sen, had sought bail for him pleading that “the case against him has already been demolished in the trial court as all the material witnesses in the case have been examined” and none of them have deposed against him.

Jethmalani had contended that despite the case against Sen having been demolished, the Chhattisgarh High Court was not entertaining his bail plea.