Former Chief Justice UU Lalit said the Supreme Court's extraordinary special sitting on Saturday to hear the Maharashtra government's appeal against the discharge of Professor GN Saibaba and five others in a UAPA case was "unusual."

On Friday, October 14, at 3:59 p.m. The appeal with an interim stay was filed on the same day the Bombay High Court issued its decision. The case was brought before CJI Justice Chandrachud, who denied an urgent listing.

However, Justice Lalit, then CJI and master of the roster, convened a special bench (composed of Justice MR Shah and Justice Bela M Trivedi) and scheduled the matter for hearing on a non-working day (Saturday). This bench stayed their release and suspended the Bombay High Court's order.

While then-CJI Lalit's move drew widespread condemnation, he explained the circumstances that led to the incident and stated that it was his "job" to make a bench available if the occasion demanded.

Saibaba, who is wheelchair-bound due to post-polio paralysis, had previously filed an application for sentence suspension on medical grounds. He claims to be suffering from a variety of ailments, including kidney and spinal cord issues. In 2019, the High Court denied his request to have his sentence suspended.

They were sentenced to life by the Sessions Court at Gadchiroli, Maharashtra in March 2017 for offences under Sections 13, 18, 20, 38 and 39 of the UAPA and 120 B of the Indian Penal Code for alleged association with Revolutionary Democratic Front(RDF), which was alleged to be an affiliate of outlawed Maoist organization. The accused were arrested in 2014.