Soni Sori (36), a teacher in tribal village Jabeli in Dantewada, was released from Jagdalpur Central Jail on Thursday as the Supreme Court granted her bail two years after her arrest for alleged links with Maoists.
“I am thankful to the Supreme Court and the media,” said Sori after her release. Supreme Court had given conditional bail to Sori on November 12 but as the orders had not reached the jail administration, Sori was not released, Jail superintendent Rajendra Gaikwad said. After Kirandul SDOP Mirza Jiyarat Baig handed over the orders to the jail administrations, paper work and other formalities were completed and Sori was released on Thursday.
Sori will be taken to Dantewada where she will be given 24 hours with her family after which she will be taken to New Delhi where she has to report to the police station on a weekly basis. The bail has been issues on the condition that they would not visit Chhattisgarh while their case was being probed. The state government had objected to their release but the apex court pointed out that others accused in the case had been given bail.
Sori, nephew lingaram Kodopi, DB Verma, DGM Essar and BK lala, building contractor, were arrested in September 2011 on the charges of acting as Maoist conduits. lala was granted bail after he turned approver and deposed in the court as a witness. Verma too was released on bail. However, the court observed that the seven cases against Sori were serious and denied her any relief.