Additional Advocate General Kishore Bhaduri, representing the state government, told the three-judge tribunal that Sen had strong links with the Maoists.
He said seized documents and other evidence were sufficient for “not suspending the sentence handed to him by the trial court.”
Meanwhile, Sen’s wife Ilena said that they would challenge the decision and appeal to the Supreme Court.
Earlier, on February 9, 40 Nobel laureates issued a statement calling for Sen’s immediate release.
“Sen is an exceptional, courageous, and selfless colleague, dedicated to helping those in India who are least able to help themselves,” they said in the statement, posted on a website campaigning for Sen’s release.
Sen studied medicine at a Protestant-run school in Tamil Nadu and then worked for more than 30 years to bring healthcare to the state’s tribal people.
As a human rights activist, Sen strongly criticized the state government for human rights violations during anti-Maoist operations, while advocating non-violent political engagement.
He was arrested in May 2007 for allegedly supporting the Maoists.
Christian leaders expressed dismay yesterday at a Chhattisgarh High Court decision not to grant bail to rights activist Binayak Sen.