Former Maoist leaders seek revocation of death sentence in Jeeram Ghati case

Former Maoist leaders have urged the Chhattisgarh High Court and Central and State governments to revoke the death sentences imposed on 10 adivasis in the Jeeram Ghati case. They also sought the release of Maoist and political prisoners.

Kothagudem: Former Central and State Committee members of the CPI (Maoist) have sought the revocation of the death sentence imposed by a National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on 10 adivasis, including two women, in the Jeeram Ghati case.

Former Maoist leaders Devji, Sangram, Chandranna, Mainakka, Sanjeev, Muppidi Sambaiah, Damodar, Hussein, Bandi Prakash, Narahari, Noona Narsimha Reddy, Chandu and Kankanala Raji Reddy, in a statement released to the media, urged the Chhattisgarh High Court, the State and Central governments to immediately revoke the verdict and release the adivasis from jail.

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They said that after 13 years, on September 16, the NIA court in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, delivered its verdict in connection with an ambush that took place near Jeeram Ghati in the Bastar region in 2013, in which some Congress leaders and policemen lost their lives.

They claimed that in the 76 years since the Indian Constitution came into force, it was the first time that a single court had imposed the death penalty on 10 people in a single case. As a result, adivasis across the country, oppressed people and democrats were deeply disturbed and were demanding revocation of the sentence, they said.

During the Kagar war period, which continued from January 2024, the CPI (Maoist) proposed to the governments that the issue should be resolved through peace talks. However, the governments did not agree to peace talks and insisted that the Maoists must surrender.

As a result, Maoists in several States surrendered and handed over their weapons to the governments. Following this, on March 30, 2026, Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared that India had become a Maoist-free country, the Maoist leaders noted.

Since then, no armed actions have taken place from the Maoist side anywhere and a peaceful situation has continued, they said. In this situation, the policies followed by the governments should help maintain peace and should not disrupt it.

The governments should resolve the issue through a political process rather than a judicial process, they said. The argument that ‘the law would take its own course’ was inhumane and unreasonable, they added. The governments have to abandon their vengeful attitude and stabilise peace, they said.

The governments concerned should issue GOs cancelling all cases against Maoists in jails and against surrendered Maoists, and release all political prisoners in jails, they said. Pro-people and adivasi-welfare-oriented lawyers have to come forward to provide legal aid for the revocation of the death sentence.

The Opposition parties, people, democrats, lawyers, journalists, media and rights organisations across the country have to take up a movement for the release of political prisoners and for the revocation of the death sentence in the Jeeram Ghati case, the Maoist leaders added.