In a four-page handwritten letter to the principal judge of the Gadchiroli district and sessions court, imprisoned Delhi University Professor GN Saibaba has sought special medical treatment and dietary provisions on the ground that his health is deteriorating fast.

In the letter dated 5 January, and accessed by NDTV, the wheelchair-bound English professor who claims that he is 90 per cent disabled, wrote, "I have been suffering from multiple ailments of severe nature and have been taking regular treatment at the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre (ISIC), New Delhi, for my left shoulder, which was damaged seriously in prison."

Saibaba, who was on bail till 31 December 2015, has been accused of having Maoist links. He had surrendered before the Central Jail authorities as per the directive of the Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court. When the trial started on 27 October 2015 in the Gadchiroli Sessions Court, all the co-accused got bail except Saibaba. On 23 December, the Bench had rejected his regular bail application and directed him to surrender within 48 hours.

“I need hot water to take bath and use it to control pain in my legs and back and damaged left hand. This was a facility which was extended to me earlier. Please continue with the same facility, without which I can’t survive,” wrote Saibaba, according to The Indian Express.